St Mungo's: A Love Story
by inreverie89
Summary: Scorpius is hopeless when Rose Weasley is the doctor of the case.
1. Chapter 1

_A big thank-you to my beta who did a brilliant editing work on this chapter!_

The large fireplace of St Mungo's Hospital emergency ward constantly flares up with flashes of emerald flame. People with various looks on their faces – confused, angry, scared – head straight to reception, where two nurses are busy advising families of patients. The chaos is accompanied by the occasional sound of sirens from the far east entrance of the emergency ward, where A&E wizards deliver the newly admitted to a hallway behind the reception desk. It all looks like turmoil after an earthquake.

Scorpius Malfoy, like many others who have just stepped out of the fireplace, stands still in confusion for a moment. He looks around, searching for where the flamingo patronus has called him to. Pulling the hood of his robes over so it covers half his face, he paces past hospital beds, his eyes squinting as he tries to discern the familiar faces among strangers with all sorts of blood stains and injuries. He's about to give up and ask a staff member for help when the little electric owl inside his pocket vibrates.

Second floor. Surgery ward. Waiting area.

Scorpius rushes inside the metal cage of a lift as soon as he finds one at the far corner of the room he is in. The rusty fences close behind him and a handful of other passengers and take them off the ground floor. He lets out a sigh as he recalls the events of the past hour. Scorpius knows his mother well enough to tell she would never cause a scene at the Emergency Department. She would ask for additional security and would arrange that his father is admitted in utmost privacy. If news spread that Draco Malfoy had been admitted to Mungo's with a serious injury, it would cause great turmoil in wizarding London.

As Scorpius gets off the lift, he carefully runs his fingers through the famous Malfoy blonde hair in an attempt to make himself presentable after a busy day of work. His mother Astoria is walking circles in the empty hallway in front of another set of closed doors. Her eyes are glued to the shiny white ceramic of the floor tiles. She seems deep in thought.

"Mother!" Astoria looks up and Scorpius runs towards her. He pulls her into a hug. "It's going to be alright, mother."

After a moment she gently pulls herself away and takes his hand.

"Let's go inside. Your father is still in surgery. We need to talk to the healers now, otherwise this will be front page news on tomorrow morning's Prophet."

They cross the closed doors, and Scorpius' eyebrows lift up at the sight in front of him. In contrast with the empty waiting area, the surgery feels almost crowded with nurses referring to charts and mediwizards discussing cases in animated voices along the long corridor.

"I've requested to speak with the Chief of Surgery. He should be here any moment," Astoria whispers into her son's ear. He's doesn't have time to respond before a young witch approaches them.

"Hello, Mrs Malfoy. And you are?" the stranger offers Scorpius a handshake.

"Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy." Scorpius nods his head curtly and shakes her hand.

"Right, Mr Malfoy. My name is Natalie Jones and I'm here to give you an update on your father's status. Our trauma surgeon Healer Williams is leading the surgery. Mr Draco Malfoy is stable now. He should be out of surgery in an hour."

"Healer Williams? I'm sorry, but we specifically requested Healer Smith, St. Mungo's Chief of Surgery to treat my husband." Astoria says, surprised at the young witch's report. Natalie Jones gives a well-practiced reassuring smile to Astoria.

"Mrs Malfoy, we are all well aware of your wish that your husband's admittance is handled quietly. Our Chief of Surgery has kindly agreed to respect your privacy request and I can assure you we have taken all necessary steps to ensure this stays within the walls of the surgery ward. However, Healer Smith has unfortunately had to decline the request to act as Mr Malfoy's mediwizard."

"Please, Miss Jones, surely you can do something?" Scorpius pleads. "We would be happy to generously compensate Healer Smith for any inconvenience."

"Mr Malfoy, you should know better than to think that our Chief of Surgery will prioritise patients based on financial enticement!" the woman responds icily. "We cannot insist that he acts against his own decision. He has referred you to Healer Andrew Williams, who is currently performing surgery. He is our current Chief of Staff, and more importantly, a specialist in muggle trauma and maladies. He is the best qualified wizard we can provide for your father."

"No offence, Miss, but we've never heard of a Healer Smith," Scorpius' voice is thick with contempt. Jones keeps her cool professional demeanour.

"This would be because his speciality in muggle trauma is rarely sought after. Your father has suffered a great many non-magical injuries in his accident. Treating him with spells and potions wouldn't be sufficient. Please, rest assured that Mr Malfoy is in the best possible hands."

Scorpius returns to the waiting area with his mother. His hands clench into fists as anger courses through his veins.

"That Chief of Surgery is refusing to treat father because he used to be a Death Eater! I can't believe there are still people who discriminate against us because of what happened thirty years ago. Father has proved himself over and over again and has contributed so much to wizarding society! Definitely more than the whole lot over here have!"

Astoria pats him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Scorpius, you can't accuse Healer Smith of anything until you're certain of it."

"I know him, mother." Scorpius grunts. "I met him at a Ministry gala once. During the Second Wizarding War his people were killed by Voldemort. Now he attends every event in honour of Weasley, Potter, Longbottom and the like."

Astoria Malfoy sighs.

"Scorpius, this is not the first time this has happened and I can promise you it won't be the last. We've always encountered people who loath us, as well as people who are insanely loyal to us, and even people who are ready to kiss your grandfather's arse only because of our wealth. I thought you were immune to all of this."

Scorpius bites his tongue and nods obediently. It's been thirty years after the war and yet he can still see the effects it's had on the wizarding community. He's always known that his father, him, and probably even his children and grandchildren will always have to live like saints if they're to have any chance at erasing all the prejudice and hatred. By default Malfoys are universally disliked for their past sins and their wealth.

"At least your father is in the best hands, at least according to the young mediwitch." There is a shake in Astoria's voice, and Scorpius can hear it. Sensing she's about to cry, he hugs his mother and brushes her hair gently.

"Father will be alright, mother. I know it. Please don't cry."

Moments later, a nure informs them that Draco Malfoy is out of surgery and that Healer Williams would like to talk to them. Scorpius and Astoria quickly follow her and find themselves inside the surgery ward once again.

Scorpius quietly watches as his mother runs towards a patient, pale and quite messed up, lying on a surgical bed that is being wheeled into a corridor. He clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and does his best to remain calm as he approaches the two other figures over by the bed. One is tall and solid, and the other small and delicate. They are still deep in their own discussion.

"Hello, healers," Scorpius draws their attention. "How is my father doing?"

The two surgeons look up at his anxious face. The tall one has already removed his mask and quickly offers a handshake.

"Hello, Mr Malfoy. I'm Healer Williams and this is my intern, Healer Weasley. Your father is doing just fine for the moment. We're happy to confirm he is stable."

Scorpius' mouth quite literally drops a bit. His gaze shifts towards the second, much smaller, surgeon, who is slowly peeling off her mask. She forces a smile as her blue eyes pierce his grey.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mr Malfoy. I'm Healer Rose Weasley."

* * *

 _This is my first attempt at HP fanfictions. I especially love Scorose and believe their love stories are always interesting. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks a bunch!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I would like to have my father referred to a different healing team."

"Mr. Malfoy, you need to understand that the injuries caused by the explosion and the car crushing your father were extremely severe. Hr. Williams and his intern, Hr. Weasley specialise in muggle-"

"Just process his request, Stephanie. We can't do our best if the patients' families don't fully trust us and cooperate."

Recognising the light but firm voice, Scorpius leaned back from the reception desk and spun around to look at the petite Rose. The nurse behind the counter stood up hesitantly.

"Healer Weasley. I'm terribly sorry you had to hear this. I will prepare the request form."

Rose nodded gently at the witch and locked her gaze straight onto Scorpius Malfoy's grey eyes. "If I were you, I would trust Healer Williams with my father's life. He's the best you could ever hope for. I understand your discomfort with me being the second healer on the case. I will sign off your father's chart tomorrow. Have a good night, Malfoy."

The faintest sense of guilt shot through Scorpius' stomach as he saw Rose's stern expression. He didn't doubt her ability. It was just that things had never been easy between the two of them, as well as between their families. Having Rose aware of so many of his private family matters would only add more problems to the ones he was already facing.

"Weasley, wait," Scorpius reached for her shoulder as she turned her back to him and walked away.

"What else can I help you with?" Rose asked with genuine care. Her face was calm and stoic.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Scorpius stuttered. "I didn't mean to doubt your abilities. I just want to make sure people don't talk about my father's situation. Our families have a long history of rivalry and..."

"You don't think I'll keep my mouth shut, Malfoy?" Rose folded her arms, her eyes narrowing.

"Look, I said I didn't doubt you," he sighed. "I'm just trying to do everything I can to keep this a secret. I know the news will leak sooner or later. And I also know it can come from any witch or wizard in St. Mungo. So the fewer people know, the better. I can only hope to delay – eventually The Daily Prophet will have us on their front page and our company's competitors will find out that my father is in a coma, and then stock prices will-"

"Malfoy, Malfoy, easy," Rose put both her hands on his shoulders, trying to keep him from shaking. She gently held his elbow and guided him to the nearest bench. Scorpius sat downheavily, and buried his face in his large hands, his fingers raking through the slick blonde hair in desperation. "Why is he in a coma? The surgeries went well."

Rose sat down next to him. "Your father was in shock, Malfoy. It takes some time to recover. When he's in a better state we will do more surgeries. The apothecary will send up some morepotions in a few days and that will help him recover faster."

"Yes, I know, you explained that to me. Still, we don't know when he'll wake up..." Scorpius mumbled.

"We'll run the tests again tomorrow. I mean, I will make sure the new intern runs the tests first thing in the morning."

Guilt hit Scorpius again. Just minutes ago he had requested to have Rose off the case, and now she was comforting him and listening to his ranting. This is odd, he thought; he rarely complained to anyone, even to his best mate Albus. He was always in control of everything. He hadn't realised he was at the edge of breaking down, and now his father's coma had been the last straw.

"Weasley, I'm sorry again. I was frustrated. I hope my request didn't hurt you."

Rose smiled softly. "No, I totally understand, Malfoy. We were never on good terms even back at Hogwarts. I know it's inconvenient for you to have me suddenly know everything about your family. Health history. Relationships between you and your parents. Your family's business, as I'm sure I would be hearing a lot of business conversations in the patient's room if I were the healer of the case."

"I never said anything like that." Scorpius defended himself.

"You were always uptight, Malfoy. Back at school you were discrete about your family and all. But I knew under those perfect uniforms and that stoic expression, you had a lot to deal with." Rose chuckled.

"Did Albus tell you all of this?" Scorpius' eyebrows furrow.

"I happened to be observant, Malfoy. Even so, Albus held you in high regard. I know there's a lot more to you than this cool, indifferent facial expression." Rose smirked.

"Thank you, Weasley. You're the first person to say anything good about this infamous Malfoy trait." Scorpius shook his head, his lips curving to form a small smile. For the first time that day he felt himself relax a bit.

"You're welcome. It's obvious whatever you did, you were working hard to protect your family."

"Yeah? And you know that because you've read many of bad rumours about my family on the front page of that rubbish newspaper Daily Prophet? Rumours like how Scorpius Malfoy gotexpelled from Hogwarts because of drug abuse? Or how The Malfoy Enterprise cheated in their bidding for Bitexco Tower?" Scorpius suddenly snapped back. Rose noticed his musclestense up. Her eyebrows furrowed, as she was clearly taken aback by his sharp comments.

"I didn't mean that, Malfoy. I knew you were trying to protect your family because I do the same for mine. Believe me, they go after us too. We had to put spells around the Burrow to prevent paparazzi from taking inappropriate pictures of us."

Scorpius let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry. I did it again. I'm not myself today. Please accept my apology. I am being a prick to you while you are trying to comfort me."

Rose nodded curtly. She glanced at the man in front of her with concerning in her eyes. His usually immaculate hair is now sticking up at all angles. His long fingers are circling the pale forehead above shut eyelids. She gently held his hand, making him jerk at their touch.

"Malfoy, you're dehydrated. Just drink some fluids," Rose conjured a glass of water from thin air. "You don't have to stay here overnight, you know. We have the best team of healers here. Go home and take a rest. You've had a long day."

"Thank you," Scorpius drank the water all at once and felt much better.

"I've gotta go. Goodbye, Malfoy." Rose stood up and turned away, but Scorpius grabbed her hand unexpectedly. "Rose-"

Gazing at Rose's cheeks, all flushed up, Scorpius realized he had just acted rashly. He quickly loosened his grip and shook his head apologetically. "Sorry again! Er, Rose, can I call you Rose?"

"Er, I guess you can. And enough with the apologies." She chuckled.

"Right, Rose. Thank you very much for today. Thank you for saving my father and all."

"You're welcome. Get some rest, Scorpius. And good night again." She beamed an assuring smile at him before turning on her heels, this time for real, and delicately walking away.

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 _Please review. It makes my day!_


	3. Chapter 3

Rose walked absent-mindedly on the hospital pavement; the sunshine reflected her ginger curls. She felt a slight twist in her stomach, thinking about the intense encounter she and Scorpius had shared the previous night. It had been years since she last talked to him, and for all she remembered, there was always something vague preventing them from becoming friends.

Rose scrunched her forehead, trying to retrieve from her memory image of the blond, pale boy accompanying her cousin Albus between classes. Just like Scorpius, she was a close friend of Albus's. However,whenever Scorpius happened to be around Albus, she would just detach herself from the duo, find a book to read, and observe quietly the boy her father had repeatedly told her to stay away from.

Strange how Rose could never remember anything clearly about Scorpius Malfoy even though she was so proud of her ability to memorize everything. Mind you, she was a medical student. It's her job to remember all herbs with their functions, all bones with their precise position in the body. Yet she felt slightly guilty for not recalling anything regarding Scorpius except his silvery voice and his just as silvery hair as he walked along Albus through the sunlit stone corridors of Hogwarts.

Rose's cheeks turned a pale shade of pink thinking about how she knew nothing about the teenager Scorpius Malfoy but his voice and his hair so well. Last time she checked, she was the well-known bookworm at Hogwarts, the true prim, proper, and prudent golden Weasley girl that every teacher was fond of.

Rose thought she never considered Malfoy more than a close friend of her cousin's, yet here she was, amazed by the fact that his voice and the image of his hair were so vividly imprinted in her memory. Strange, isn't it, how the encounter with a boy she barely knew brought with it such a sense of familiarity.

The sound of the electric owl in her pocket brought Rose back to reality. Pulling out the tiny thing, Rose smiled at the name of Albus appearing on the little screen.

"Al!"

"Rosie! How are you doing?"

"I'm great. You? Too busy with Priscilla to give me a call until now?" She faked a sulky tone.

"I sent you a gift from Paris already! Can you stop blaming me? Anyway, I will be back in ten days. Can I book an appointment with you ahead, so I can properly introduce you to my new girlfriend?" Albust chuckled.

"Since when you need to book an appointment to meet me?" Rose scoffed.

"I don't know. Since you have exam every other week and a Final exam for Residency Year 2 or whatever is coming to kill you in another month…" Albus trailed off.

"Fine. Fine. Friday night, next week?"

"Sounds great, Rosie. I miss you!" Albus exclaimed through the electric owl.

"Hey Albus…"

"Yes?"

Rose paused for a brief moment. She was about to tell Albus about Mr. Malfoy in hospital out of habit when she suddenly realized it wasn't her story to tell in the first place. If Scorpius hadn't shared with Albus, it must have to do with keeping this whole incident a secret, even though it's for some reason that she couldn't fully comprehend.

"Nothing…" Rose trailed off.

"Come on, I've known you for too long. What's up, Rosie?"

"Scorpius Malfoy…why did you never try to make us friends like you did to me and your other mates?"

A silence on the line. Eventually, Albus smiled weakly.

"Well, you guys wouldn't make good friends because of your personalities. He is so different from Alex or Jackson, that's why I didn't bother from the beginning. But why ask now, Rosie?"

Rose was slightly surprised that her cousin seemed concerned about her question. So it was true, Albus had avoided bringing up Scorpius in their conversations. Rose hadn't picked up on it at the time, but she started to see it clearly now, and the curiosity irked her.

"Nothing, I just randomly thought about him and why it was I never got to know him properly. Tell me again why he was transferred to Dumstrang in sixth year?"

"Erm… His dad just had some business in Germany for a few years and they decided that Scorpius would be closer to them by boarding at Dumstrang."

"Interesting." replied Rose.

"Well, seems like you finally start thinking about boys. Should I introduce you to a few of my colleagues, Rosie? There's this guy David who's coming to England with me…" Albus chuckled.

"Oh no, please, no thanks. My first date with Alex Whatever-His-Last-Name-Was was a nightmare. He made me so sick that I almost couldn't take my exam the next day." Rose grimaced.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Rosie. You and I both know you'll ace any exam. Anyway, see you soon!"

"Bye." Rose turned off the electric owl, smiling before rushing to the hospital entrance. Five minutes left and she would officially be late for her morning shift.

* * *

Rose scrolled the sleeve of the Henley that she wore underneath the blue scrub a little higher. It was quite cold outside, but the heat of the hospital was making her sweat. Soon after she set about scribing her notes for the day, while occasionally patting her forehead dry, Rose heard a familiar silvery voice.

"Hey."

"Hey. Good afternoon." said Rose, turning away from the counter she was standing.

"I hope this will make you feel better."

Scorpius handed her a cup of something hot. Rose slightly scrunched her eyebrow: the idea of having a hot drink right at that moment was rather intimidating. She was more in the mood of a Coke, thatdelicious cool drink invented by a brilliant Muggle. What could she say, she was just too hot, courtesy of the patients who seemed to be constantly complaining that St. Mungo was "a bit too chilly" for their liking.

The icy glare from his grey eyes raised her body temperature another degree.

"What? It's just hot chocolate. You don't like it?" Rose spotted a slight shyness in Scorpius's faint blush. Perhaps he wasn't used to being denied. He was a Malfoy, after all.

"No, I mean, thanks. You don't have to bribe the healers, you know. We take good care of you father." Rose smiled as she reluctantly took the cup of hot chocolate.

"I know." Scorpius smiled back at her. He was simply enjoying her sincerity.

"Nor do you have to make it up to me for what you said yesterday." Rose looked at him for several long seconds before taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Wow! This is really delicious. Is this chocolate with hazelnut?" Rose opened her eyes wide in amazement as Scorpius followed her from the counter to the long corridor.

"Yes. Chocolate with a dash of hazelnut. I'm surprised you can recognize the flavour." He couldn't help but smile again at her keen sense of taste.

"It just happens to be my favourite kind of hot drink. Thanks, Malfoy. But again, you don't have to do this." Rose leaned on the metal railing of the corridor that overlooked the ground floor of the hospital.

"I know." Scorpius chuckled.

"Should I call you Mr. Know-It-All then?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"What do you want me to say? I'm not bribing you, or trying to make up to you. It's just cold outside and I thought you'd appreciate a hot drink." Scorpius answered simply.

"So, a cup of hot chocolate for no particular reason?" Rose steered her eyes to his.

"A cup of chocolate for no particular reason." Scorpius repeated with a smirk.

"Interesting." Rose trailed off by taking another sip.

"Don't get it wrong. I'm not flirting with you. It wasn't like I was thinking of you or anything…" Scorpius's face heated up. "I mean, of course I thought of you, that's why I bought the drink. Out of my Malfoy kindness. Merlin, why do you have to make a cup of chocolate so complicated? Just drink it anyway."

He ruffled his blonde hair and mentally berated himself for being so anxious, uncool and uncollected in front of a woman. He wasn't used to this. He'd always thought of himself as a master in communication with the fairer sex.

"Merlin, Malfoy, I didn't think you were flirting with me! What makes you think that's the first thing that came to my mind when I accepted the hot chocolate? Ah, I see. That's what girls usually feel when you offer them something." Rose smiled mischievously.

"For the love of Merlin, I said that because you kept asking why I brought you the hot drink. And besides my kindness, there was nothing else for you to read. You're still so bad at reading people, Weasley. No wonder you sucked in Divination."

"How do you know I sucked in Divination?" Rose gaped at him.

"I…don't know." Scorpius let out a breath he was holding for a little too long.

"Malfoy. Please tell me," Rose insisted.

"I…I really don't know. I guess Albus must have mentioned it." Rose knew he was speaking the truth from the shock in his eyes.

"We were never really friends. We didn't get along." Rose diverted her sight back to the ground floor under the corridor. Their conversation felt like a jigsaw puzzle and she was trying to find the missing piece.

"We didn't. I hated when Albus talked about you in third year," Scorpius nodded.

"I hated you, too. But Albus wouldn't shut up about how cool you were. He so wished to spend Christmas at your house, and yet I always wanted him to stay at the Burrow," Rose mumbled. She couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. She hadn't recalled any of this in years and now the memories were swimming back, making her oddly glad and anxious at the same time.

"Yeah, we were like brothers until fifth year when we had fight after fight. And then I was transferred to Dumstrang that summer." Scorpius took a sip of his now cold chocolate.

"I don't recall Albus telling me anything about your fights. I was simply glad that I had Albus back to myself," she confessed.

"To be honest, I can't remember why we fought, either. Merlin, time has passed by quickly." Scorpius shook his head with regret.

Rose burst into giggles at Scorpius's statement. She put a hand on his arm and beamed at him. "You sound like an old man, Mr. Malfoy."

"I know, right? Where have my charms gone? You bring out the ugly, boring side of me." Scorpius chuckled.

"And here it comes again…" Rose rolled her eyes one last time before taking the last sip of chocolate. She threw the plastic cup, one well-practised shot straight into the recycling bin and made her way along the corridor. "Thanks for the hot chocolate Malfoy."

Scorpius's eyes followed the petite shape in blue scrub, with her swaying hips and her arms stretched in the cold air. He couldn't help but smile. "Any time, Weasley."

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A/N: Hi guys, it's good to be back here. I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter. Please be gentle on me as English is my second language. I would appreciate if someone offers to beta my work. Also, please review, it would make my day!

Much love.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I dont own any characters.

A/N 2: A big thank-you to those who gave me reviews. I know this is an unusual Scorose fanfic, but give it some time, it will prove to be a good story :D

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Over twenty-four hours had passed since Rose had signed Draco Malfoy's post-op notes for the last time and had asked to be removed from the case. She'd been so busy with her two back to back surgeries and the unexpected hot chocolate break with the young Malfoy that she'd almost let the biggest question of the week pass her by: why was Mr Malfoy still in a coma? Even if it wasn't exactly her concern any more, now that she wasn't on the case, the medical peculiarity of his condition still irked her.

Rose paid a visit to Draco Malfoy's room in the ICU. Scorpius's father was lying still, the ventilator beeping steadily as it helped him breathe. Across the bed there was a single vase of white roses sitting on top of a small bedside table. In the dark room she couldn't see any of the get well soon cards and care packages that friends and relatives usually left. Whether this bleak emptiness was due to Malfoy'shospitalizing being kept secret, or because the family were outcasts, it left Rose feeling uneasy and lonely. Had it been her father lying on that very bed, she knew the whole Weasley clan, together with the Potters and anyone else even vaguely related, would have been here, night and day, with home-made biscuits, colourful flowers and even pranks so loud and funny that they would wake him up in no time.

This single thought made Rose feel sorry for the Malfoys. For some reason, she had never seen them the way some of her family did. She had always thought they were trying hard to hold their family together and redeem themselves after the war. Sometimes Rose wondered why she could never hate them, despite her father and Mr Malfoy being sworn enemies, and Scorpius almost stealing Albus away from her in their early years at Hogwarts. Last but not least, the Malfoys had specifically requested Rose off the case. It was supposed to hurt her ego, and it had for the first few minutes, but then she'd found herself nursing Scorpius Malfoy through an anxiety episode and after that he'd repaid her with hot chocolate. With a hint of hazelnut.

Rose huffed and rolled her eyes – she hated to admit secretly having a soft spot for the Malfoy family. Her father wouldn't like it. But it was who she was, and it made her a good doctor, so she just went with it.

Rose looked at the thin, pale shape lying on the bed. Why would Mr Malfoy not wake up after a successful surgery? She glanced through the window to the empty corridor; she knew from experience that it would be at least two hours before floor nurses checked in on patients here, and it was obvious that neither Scorpius Malfoy nor his mother were staying the night. Rose picked up the binder full of healers' notes and quietly settled on the rocking chair and prepared for a long reading session. She would figure out what was wrong with Mr Malfoy.

Rose recalled the day he had arrived at the hospital with his driver. There had been a fire a few blocks away from St. Mungo and the hospital had been flooded with all kinds of trauma, mainly burns and orthopaedic injuries. She also remembered something else: Draco Malfoy was initially hospitalized and treated by a different healer. He had been diagnosed and stabilized by Healer Johnson before being sentto her team, led by Healer Williams, to operate on the head laceration. She furrowed her eyebrows and concentrated on finding the cause of the problem. After about twenty minutes she suddenly flipped through the first few pages, where the vitals and lab results were scribbled on white paper. An idea dawned on her: Draco Malfoy was having internal bleeding and the group of healers failed to access this injury.

Rushing out of Malfoy's room, Rose dialled Hr. Williams's owl number.

"Hr. Williams. I need to tell you something."

"It's three in the morning, Rosie. And it's my only night off in days. Unless you've changed your mind and you're about to tell me you want to come over and sleep with me, you'd better…."

Rose blushed. She hated how Hr. Williams always flirted with her shamelessly, and yet she still had to follow him around, since he was one hell of a surgeon.

"I'm sorry sir, I haven't changed my mind. But I just realized there's a high probability that Mr. Draco Malfoy is having an internal bleeding that Hr. Johnson failed to notice."

"Malfoy? The patient who's still in coma? I thought his family members requested you off the case."

"They did, sir." Rose hesitated. "But I found his state very concerning , and if I'm right we can treat him in time and he can wake up, sir."

"Hr. Rose Weasley. You don't know what you're getting yourself into – violating the patient's family request and accusing Hr. Johnson, one of the most well-respected healers in the hospital. You may face disciplinary procedure and you might even lose your permit!"

"I only wanted to help!" Rose paused and then mumbled. "Please, help me on this case, sir."

She didn't like having to ask for Healer Williams's favour, but this was personally important to her.

"Fine." Rose could hear Healer Williams sigh through her little owl. "But in exchange you must have dinner with me tomorrow at the Leaky Caudron."

"Sir…" Rose trailed off. Aside from being an amazing teacher and mentor to Rose, Healer Williams was also a pain in the ass, and kept asking her to go out for months.

"You really push me too hard, don't you think?" the voice on the line was almost sulky.

"Sir, I appreciate your help a lot and would do anything, professionally, to return to the favour…"

"It's alright. I just want a dinner with you. I'll wait until you accept my invitation then. Meanwhile, tell the nurses in charge that I, the lead doctor on the case, authorize you to re-examine Mr Malfoy and run necessary labs again in my absence. And if you're right, just don't say anything to anyone about Hr. Johnson yet. I'll see what I can do about it. And you can scrub in tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it very much." Rose was delighted to hear Healer William's decision. "Good night, sir."

"Good night, Rosie. Have fun being on call."

As Rose hung up the owl, she rolled up her sleeves and entered Mr. Malfoy's room. Gently, she undressed the wounds and started examining the injuries herself. Before long she noticed a round, red patch on the right side of Malfoy's abdomen. As a medic Rose immediately recognized this was a sign of internal bleeding rather than a bruise left from an abdominal surgery. It was, in fact, a hepatic blunt trauma. His liver was about to fail, and if they didn't act straight away, he would likely pass away within the next two days.

It was a horrible, horrible mistake from St. Mungo's staff. Rose knew even with Healer William's authorization, this could lead to subsequent charge pressing from the Malfoys, but the patient's health was her primary concern. Rose let the nurses finish the rest of the administrative tasks: informing Healer Williams, scheduling a surgery for Draco the next morning and all. She casually found an on call room and threw herself on the inviting bunk bed. The satisfaction of finding out the cause of Draco's coma and the exhaustion of a long working day immediately brought her to a safe and sound sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5**

* * *

 _Big big thanks to A Fan and Orion. You guys motivated me to write this chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it._

* * *

Scorpius strode along the all-too-familiar hospital corridor. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie, feeling the blood coarse through his veins as his body slowly warmed up after the freezing weatheroutside. A couple of nurses turned around and beamed at him brightly, to which he responded with a curt bow and the hint of a smile. Being the centre of attention was not so bad, Scorpius thought, especiallywhen the nurses also brought Mother tea during the long nights she stayed with Father, and new to call him immediately when treatment could be rescheduled. Yet, the only member of staff he was hoping to see seemed nowhere to be found. A part of him still felt guilty that his mother and he had requested Rose Weasley off the case, as she turned out the physician he felt the easiest to talk to amongst the strangers of this hospital. Malfoy never regretted their decisions. Still, Scorpius very much appreciated the fact that Rose didn't hold a grudge and was instead slowly becoming a friend.

A friend. Scorpius blushed and smiled at the thought. He would have never guessed that he and Rose Weasley, children of the sworn enemies, could become friends one day.

Scorpius indulged in his search for an extra minute and took the longest route possible to his father's room. His eyes scanned rooms and hallways in all directions, hoping to catch a glimpse of the petite shape with those delicate gestures that he enjoyed seeing, usually as she was walking away from him. His eyes lit up as he spotted her standing in a corner. Rose's back was facing Scorpius, and she had an arm propped against her hip in a bossy gesture just like the one his father more than once complained Hermione Granger would make. She was waving impatiently with her other hand, obviously as part of a heated discussion. Scorpius couldn't help but walk over and call her name.

"Rose." A few of the mediwitches and wizards surrounding Rose stopped talking. They turned to look at Scorpius, who had only just realised he'd publicly acknowledged him and Rose were on a first-name basis. He stuttered, "Um, Healer Weasley."

As always, Healer Weasley greeted him with a bright smile. "Mr. Malfoy. How can I help you?"

"Could I please have a word with you?"

Eyes were still staring at the interaction between Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Weasley, children of the two most antagonistic families of wizarding Britain. Rose opened her big eyes, surprised for a second at Malfoy's courtesy. She nodded gently and gestured towards the big closed doors, which separated the restricted surgery ward and the corridor to other wards of the hospital.

As they stood alone in the familiar corridor, which had hosted most of their quarrels, Rose tilted her head and her eyes set on Scorpius's.

"How can I help you now, Mr. Malfoy?"

Scorpius watched Rose's challenging posture as she stood in front of him. Her eyes were a fiery blue colour. Her face was pinkish with a patch of little freckles across her nose. A thin layer of sweat was shining on her forehead, and her hair was meticulously hidden in a light blue scrub crap that complemented the big blue eyes. As Rose propped her arm against her hip like usual, he couldn't help but notice the rather loose scrub shirt was tugged inside the pants, tightened haphazardly by a drawstring to a little bow at the front. Nothing about the scrub Rose was wearing was fashionable, and yet she looked plain beautiful and radiant in the uniform that was magnifying her petite frame.

"Malfoy?" Rose snapped Scorpius out of his thought.

"Right. I just thought you may want to know that a nurse called us last night, and told us that Healer Williams figured out the cause of my father's coma."

Judging by the way Scorpius spoke, Rose knew he still wasn't aware that she'd made the diagnosis. She smiled at him gently and patted his arm.

"Brilliant! I'm so glad to hear this!"

"He will need a liver transplant, however. I had my blood sampled for a cross-match test earlier this morning. I'm back for the results now," Scorpius went on with a genuine smile on his face. He was happy that he could contribute to save his father's life.

"You want to donate your liver?" asked Rose.

"Um…yes. If I pass, that's the fastest way for him to have the surgery. He wont survive if he goes onto the transplant waiting list."

Rose saw the hope in Scorpius's eyes. It was nothing like the game-on, flirty, arrogant face that he usually sported in front of her. Rose could tell how much Scorpius Malfoy loved his parents. She nodded in agreement. "You're very generous, Malfoy. I'm sure Mr. Malfoy is very proud to have a son like you."

"Thanks." Scorpius blushed at the compliment. "Sorry, I didn't bring you a hot chocolate today." He stared at her, the smile still gracing on his lips.

"Oh, you don't have to. You've come straight here from work, I can tell you're really busy. Go check the test results. Good luck to the both of you," she was smiling back at him.

"Thanks, Rose." Scorpius stared down at his feet. Somehow he found solace and comfort every time he spoke to her. Even if they were arguing, his heart filled with some unidentifiable sweet, energetic and joyful feeling. She was indeed born to be a healer. She had an invisible magic to melt the cold, dry feelings that had been engulfing him for as long as he could remember.

"Scorpius." Rose gently touched his toned arm. "Don't worry. It won't be a complicated procedure for either of you. You will have to donate only a part of you liver, which would then regenerate. There isn't even that much magic involved: it's the only organ that can regrow by itself. You will recover in no time."

"Thanks again, Rose."

"Good luck to you. I'll see you around." Still with a bright smile, Rose watched Scorpius go back to the surgery ward.

* * *

Scorpius eventually made his way to his father's room, where his mother was standing at the door waiting for him, accompanied by Healer Williams.

"Hello Hr. Williams. Hello Mother."

"Mr. Scorpius, your cross-match results have come through. I'm pleased to say you're compatible and can act as liver donor to your father," Healer Williams said. "We've scheduled your father's surgery in three hours. This means another surgical team will be operating on you at the same time."

"That's great news. Thank you so much Healer Williams. I'm ready to be hospitalized." Scorpius shook the mediwizard's hand.

"You're welcome. Another healer will come and check on you soon."

As Healer Williams walked away, Astoria Malfoy held her son's hand.

"Thank you so much, Scorpius, my dear son. Thank you."

"Mother, I'm glad to do this. Please don't worry."

"Scorpius, I've just been informed…it was Healer Weasley who diagnosed the internal bleeding of your father."

Scorpius looked at his mother expectantly.

"Your father and I, we owe her more than once apology, Scorpius. I don't know how I can repay her."

"We just asked her off the case to keep father's accident a secret, mother. Please don't be too hard on yourself."

Astoria Malfoy longingly looked at Scorpius and gently caressed his blonde hair.

"My dear son, we owe her more than one apology. My big big boy, if only fate wasn't too cruel. Sometimes I wish things were different to you, to your father, and to whatever happened in this wild wizarding world…"

Scorpius pulled his mother into an embrace. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but he hoped his family would get out of this mess soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

A burning sense from the throat slowly woke Scorpius up. He attempted swallowing, but found that he was too weak to do so. He winced and turned his head slightly. A yellow soft light was protruding his sight, and a blurry red mane of something slowly came to his vision.

Wait, is that Rose Weasley's hair?

Scorpius' eyes fluttered open as he tried to focus on what he was now certain the long, curly, fiery hair of Rose, fallen over a thick book on her lap. A little crease dented her forehead as she immersed in the material in front of her, too focused to notice that he was awake and watching. Rose's lips were read and damp; she bit them absent-mindedly every time she flipped a page. She appeared to be sitting on the visitor's armchair next to his bed. She was still wearing the blue scrub which he'd started to adore, but her hair was no longer pinned up and hidden inside the scrub cap. It flowed freely down her shoulders instead.

A sense of familiarity overcame Scorpius, so much to his heart's content that he _almost_ reached out his weak arm, now hooked up to all kinds of machines, and touched her hair. The sight of her set off unexpected butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He would have never in a thousand years imagined Rose Weasley to be by his sick bed one day.

Rose looked up, startled by the sound Scorpius had made. She leaned over and quickly took his hand away from the oxygen mask he was trying to remove off his face.

"Father," he managed to mouth, uncertain that she'd understand his question.

Her smile grew wider and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The transplant was successful, Scorpius," she said. "Your father came out of his coma three hours ago and is now sleeping. You've been asleep for the last seven hours since the surgery. You'll recover soon."

The tension in Scorpius' body washed away at Rose's words. His relief was followed soon by a great feeling of gratitude for the petite woman in front of him. He tried to remove the mask again and thank her, but she stopped him.

"I told you not to touch that," she grimaced slightly.

He'd known she was famously bossy since he was a boy at Hogwarts. His mates had once found it irritating, and yet at this moment he thought it was sweet. Perhaps he was mistaking all the guilt and gratitude for saving his family with affection. Perhaps he was too weak and dazed from the surgery, and so he couldn't be properly annoyed by her well-known screeching voice. Scorpius Malfoy couldn't tell. All he could tell was his heart was melting and his stomach was fluttering at the thought of Rose being there for him and caring about him when he was weak, more than once. Rationally, he new she was a healer and it was her vocation to care for those in need. And yet he couldn't dispel the warm feeling that was making its way through his entire body; a feeling he hadn't experienced since his fifth year in Hogwarts.

Something terrible had happened that year; something so tragic that it had turned him stone cold.

Scorpius caught Rose's fingers as she was putting the mask back in place and held her hand there a little longer than necessary. He only meant it as a sign of gratitude, but soon his mind was occupied by how small and delicate her hand was. Her skin was soft, and her nails were perfectly manicured, Scorpius noticed. He could imagine these petite hands, skilled as they were, performing all kinds of magic on an ailed body. Not just wandwork, but also sewing flesh and skin, and saving lives.

Oh right, maybe Scorpius wasn't in his right mind at all. He had never been fond of Weasley, and now he was lying here, helplessly and desperately showing his not-yet-identified affection for her, as his hand closing around hers.

Rose cleared her throat.

"You're not in your right mind." It was as if she'd read his mind."You're drugged up, Malfoy. I'd advise you to take advantage of the blissful numbness and sleep for a few more hours. Once it wears off, you'll be in a lot of pain."

Rose chuckled. Reluctantly, Scorpius released her hand, and in turn she tugged his hand safely away from the mask. She patter his shoulder and whispered in his year a little closer than a healer would usuallydo.

"Sleep well, Mr. Malfoy. And you'll recover faster than you know."

When Rose was not screeching, or squeaking, or growling at somebody, her voice was rather soothing and velvety. That was Scorpius's last thought before drifting off to sleep once more, this time feeling safer and calmer than he'd been for weeks.

When Scorpius woke up later that day, he was pretty sure something had gone wrong with his eyesight. He blinked in disbelief. Rose Weasley, with the red curls falling down her delicate shoulders, was stillin the visitor's armchair. The yellow lamp on the nearby stand was on, shedding warm light over her face. His breath caught at the sight of Rose reading a book in the quiet night.

Scorpius bit his lips, preventing himself from chuckling. Who could have guessed she would claim the chair that was supposed to be empty throughout his stay during the hospital? Merlin, he thought, what would his mother think if she saw Rose sitting here by his side for no apparent reason. What if Rose had driven his mother away as she visited him and competed for this very seat? Scorpius imagined Rose being all dramatic and girly like all his ex-girlfriends. The thought was rather more intriguing than intimidating, he realized. It would be very interesting to see how Rose behaved as a girlfriend, what with all her being so bossy and short-tempered, yet caring. Not that he imagined she was his girlfriend. Oh, what was he thinking again. Surely he wasn't high any more; Rose had said the drugs would wear off soon.

"You're awake," Rose noted and moved her attention away from the book and towards Scorpius. He removed his mask in order to answer her, and this time she didn't stop him. He felt significantly better.

"Um. What time is it?" Scorpius cleared his throat, his voice husky from speaking for the first time since the surgery.

"Three in the morning." Rose closed the book on her laps and set it aside. She leaned back on her chair, crossed her arms and watched him with an amused look.

"And you're not asleep because..." Scorpius's eyes widened with surprise.

"I'm a healer, I don't really have a sleeping pattern. Plus, I have an exam tomorrow." She smiled at him. "Are you in pain?"

Scorpius shuffled, trying to find a more comfortable lying position. Immediately a throbbing pain shot through the right side of his abdomen, where the surgery had been performed.

"Ouch." He grimaced.

"That's what I expect," Rose chuckled, still looking at Scorpius with great interest.

"Some more morphine, please?" Scorpius asked, half in jest.

"Nope, sorry, Mr Malfoy. That's all you are allowed. If you want to recover quickly, you'll need to learn to deal with the pain." There she was again, the bossy healer he loved to fight with.

"Why are you here in my room?" he asked seriously. Now that he was stronger, he could go back to game mode with her. No more mushy Scorpius. Nuh-huh.

"If I remember correctly, you were holding my hands dearly and did not want to let go a few hours ago. Such a quick change in attitude, huh?" she smirked. He was intrigued.

"I wanted to say thank you for saving my father's life, but you didn't let me speak," he retorted.

"You would have choked on your own words if I let you. Anyway, that was the only reason for the hand holding?"

Ha, so Rose was flirting with him! Scorpius nodded resolutely.

"Of course, what else could it have been, Healer Weasley?"

Rose was at a loss for a witty comeback. She opened her mouth and then shut it. Scorpius saw a faint blush on her cheeks, glowing in the shade of the yellow light. He wanted to give her a sincere thank you for correctly diagnosing her father, but figured it could wait a little before they'd finished their banter.

"Don't take it as some romantic gesture, Healer Weasley. I only meant to thank you for saving my father. I'm professional, you see."

"Said the man who whispered my name in his sleep," she smiled at him.

"I did? Nonsense. You must be mistaken." Scorpius turned pale.

"I'll show you the memory when you've recovered if you don't believe me," Rose said, the smile still on her lips.

"Merlin, probably because I was high on drug…" Scorpius trailed off.

"What does that have to do with calling my name? What were you dreaming, Malfoy? Why isn't it your current girlfriend or anyone else but me that you called out?" Rose leaned in closer to him, and Scorpius felt threatened for the first time, weak and wandless in bed. He mumbled incoherently, scrambling for an explanation that wouldn't piss her off.

Rose looked him straight in the eye, patiently waiting for his response and watching the blood drain from his face. After a minute or so, she broke into a fit of laughters, and as they died down she patted his shoulder.

"I'm just kidding, Scorpius. No need to look like a ghost."

"Merlin, Rose." Scorpius mumbled and exhaled.

"That was one-one for the hand holding thing." Rose leaned back on her armchair again.

"You're mad because I said the only reason I held your hand is to thank you for saving my father's life?" Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"I'm mad because you weren't telling the truth and you backed me into a corner, Scorpius. And I couldn't form a witty comeback," she admitted with a grin on her face. Scorpius loved to watch Rose as she challenged him with various expressions. She was rather…adorable.

"How do you know I wasn't telling the truth?" he retorted.

"I took psychology classes as part of my training, Scorpius. You can't fool me."

"Hah! You want me holding your hand to have meant something more, Healer Weasley. Admit it." Scorpius shot her a meaningful smirk as the truth dawned on him.

"Nonsense. I was just joking around with you," Rose said, and yet she was blushing. Oh my, this girl could never win his game.

"Okay then. Anyway, I could never thank you enough. Holding your hand was the only thing I could think of at that moment. It didn't mean anything else," Scorpius lied.

"Fine." He sensed a hint of disappointment in Rose's voice. "Now that you're awake, I have to go. Nurse Melinda will check on you shortly."

Rose reached for her book on the stand and stood up.

"Don't go. Rose," Scorpius trailed off.

"It's not my place to be here anyway. Plus. I have to study for the exam," she said hesitantly.

"It's not like I'm off to sleep again. You can stay here and study, and I won't disrupt you. Please, don't go."

Scorpius's voice became weaker and weaker, until the last few words came out of his mouth as mumbling. Rose stood for a second, then for some unclear reason, sat down on the arm chair again. She crossed her legs, brushed her long hair to one side, opened her book and focused on studying.

Scorpius bit his lips trying to suppress a content laugh as he watched her settled next to him. He remained quiet so he wouldn't disrupt her, and turned his head to the other side to look at the windows. Snow was falling far away under the lonely street lights of London. Scorpius had many questions for Rose, like why she decided to stay by his bed the whole day, or whether she performed his surgery, or how soon he could meet his father, but he decided that could all wait. He was enjoying the perfect tranquility of the moment, with a certain redhead next to his bed.

 ****So, is this chapter much better now? I hope you like it! And please, please review, it'd make my day! Also, more reviews motivate me to update faster!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I own nothing than the situations_.

When Scorpius woke up the next morning, Rose was long gone. The empty chair leaving no sign of a particular redhead brought him a wistful mood, despite the vivid and lively scenery of bright sky and shiningsnowy rooftops outside the window. Stores were opened earlier, now that Christmas was very close. Scorpius could see people walking on the pavements with heavy bags on their arms. Cars were driving back and forth, leaving dark traces on the snowy streets as they melted the happy, Christmast-y snowflakes.

There was not much Scorpius could do, seeing he was glued to the patient bed for the next two weeks or so. It was Merlin's will then that he could spend the day thinking, or rather admiring Rose Weasley with her wild curls and her freckles along the nose bridge.

Scorpius longed at the other glass window that looked out to the hospital corridor. His eyes flickered back and forth, trying to spot Rose amongst the medi witches and wizards. The healers came like waves; they were walking in groups one moment, what with the masks and the concerned faces as they discussed with each other, and then suddenly disappearing another moment, returning the corridor its perpetual undisturbed atmosphere. He tossed and turned on the bed, trying to change to a new comfortable position every now and then, yet never dared to turn away the glass window, as he was afraid he would miss the tiny figure of Rose Weasley any time.

Scorpius sighed; he swore it could have been hours before his eyes sparked up at the slightest hint of a red head tugged inside the blue scrub cap that was strolling past his room. It would be too slow to adjust the inclination of the bed, so he pushed himself to sit up and waved his free arm frantically. His other arm was still hooked into all kinds of medical devices.

"Oi! Weasley!"

Too bad. She missed it. He dropped himself back on the sheets, breathless and painful. The deliberate use of abdominal muscles had run a sharp pain throughout Scorpius's body. The machine above Scorpius started alarming, and as he was grimacing in agony, the door was wide open, and a panic-stricken healer Rose Weasley rushed in.

"Easy, Malfoy. Easy."

Rose reached the machine and turned off the rather annoying alarm and tended upon Scorpius, who was now glistened with sweats on his face. She gently removed his hands, which were covering the suture site, and furrowed her eyebrows at the new bleeding. She quickly paged the nursing witch on the floor, and as the nurse was administering some medicine, re-dressed the wound on Scorpius stomach. Not until the nurse had long gone and the medicine kicked in that Scorpius started to breathe easier and feel less painful. Half opening his eyes, Scorpius glanced at Rose, who was now sitting on the arm chair, hands folded in front her chest and eyes narrowing.

"That was idiotic, Malfoy." She mumbled, her voice hoarsely.

"So you saw me waving. I thought you missed it." He smiled weakly.

"I saw it at the corner of my eyes, and before I could register the thought the alarm from your room already went off." Rose still sent him dead glares.

"I've got you noticed me anyway. Sorry for this mess, I didn't intend to look so ridiculous." Scorpius chuckled as he brushed the back of his hand across the forehead, trying to swipe the sweats away.

"Yes, and you just give yourself a reason to stay here for an extra three days." Rose replied as she leaned forward and used the damp tissue she was holding to clean his glistened face. She focused on scolding at him, trying to ignore the fact that his skin was so smooth and his little facial hair was sticking out at different angles, making him look rather attractive.

"Looks like I'm gonna spend my Christmas and New Year in bed then." Scorpius stared at Rose's blue eyes.

"Looks like it. Too bad your father may leave the hospital earlier than you" said Rose, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Why were you waving at me earlier? What do you need, Malfoy?" Rose huffed, trying to ignore the burning gaze of Scorpius at her.

"It's Scorpius, Rose." He managed a weak smile.

"Whatever, just so you know, I didn't operate on you, so technically I wasn't the healer on the case. I don't have the duty to tend to you every three hours." She grumbled.

"Why are you so grumpy this morning, Rose? I just wanted to ask if you did well on your quiz, but from your mood, I think I figure the answer." Scorpius chuckled.

"My quiz went very smoothly, thank you very much. It was rather your idiotic act that got on my nerves."

"So you were worried when I was hurt, weren't you?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"If you haven't noticed, that's the characteristic of a healer," said Rose.

"But I wasn't your patient. I was, literally, no one to you." Scorpius insisted.

"That makes me even a better healer for caring about any patient that stays in the hospital, idiotic or not." Rose pressed her lips, trying not to let a laughter escape. She was playing serious and mean, now that Scorpius had recovered from his pain.

"Or that makes you a woman who may be having feelings for me. And this hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that you decided to stay after my emergency and wait until I recover from the pain to have a talk with me."

"You're not on drug, Scorpius. Don't kid yourself." Scorpius smirked at the faint blush on her cheeks. Merlin, Rose can't never play cool for too long, he thought.

"Will you have another quiz tomorrow, Rose?"

"Yes, why?" Rose propped her chin against her arm, which was propped against the hand of the armchair. She batted her eyelashes casually as she looked absentmindedly at the window outside, and he realized she had such beautiful, mesmerizing eyes.

"Well, then study for it here, tonight. You'll find nowhere quieter than in this room." Scorpius said nonchalantly, internally trying to beat down the heat that was radiating from his face. A man couldn't blush while flirting.

Rose bursted into a fit of giggles before answering him. "Just so you know, being in the on call room with a real bunk bed is actually more comfortable than in this very armchair. I'd actually sacrifice myself if I agreed to this. What do you have to offer?"

Scorpius cleared his throat. "I have a lot of money in my vault, now that offering you some money to stay here is a disgrace to you. Other than that, I am currently lying in this bed, useless and wandless. I don't have anything much to offer right now, other than my incredibly charming look and a sincere hope, deep from my heart and soul, that you'd agree to be here with me, tonight."

Rose was about to send a witty comeback at his 'incredibly charming look' line, but soon flushed at him pouring his heart out to her, wishing her to come back and visit him. Sometimes she hated her father's gene so much for the inability to hide any feelings when shying or facing an embarrassment. She glanced at Scorpius, who wore a dead serious countenance on his face. The slight guilt of seeing him excited to wave at her and then hurt himself almost caused her to agree. Yet she shrugged nonchalantly, trying to act cool and give herself some time to think about these unclear feelings, so that she wouldn't regret that she hadn't thought twice before hurling herself into this new, profound, unbearable thing called love.

"I'll see if I can."

Scorpius beamed at Rose. He didn't need a promise. He needed Rose to think about his offers, his words, his feelings carefully before they both step into a newfound area, with full of unidentified bliss, unlimited hope and endless possibilities. He, too, needed precaution, because he was out of the game for too long, and because he was lost for the last ten years, trying to find the real meaning of happiness.

Rose couldn't be serious for too long, seeing him keep sending her smiles that made her stomach flutter. She stood up, patted Scorpius's shoulder and gingerly walked away, without forgetting to give a medical advice. "Oh, and don't forget to occasionally turn slightly on your left side, Mr. Malfoy. Your suture site is on the right and it wouldn't help if you keep turning right, longing for me and never giving your wound a chance to heal."

Rose closed the door, leaving behind her a crimson red Scorpius.

* * *

When Rose visited Scorpius later that night, she was surprised to see his room glowing in a dimly lit yellow. Tiptoeing at the door, she gently clicked open it in case he was already sound asleep. Facing her a brightened face with a beam gracing on the lips. Scorpius was sitting up against the bed, his blond hair dishiveled, and his hands were holding a book.

"Hey. You came." Said Scorpius.

Rose looked around the room. There was a vase of white roses and a pile of books and folders on the stand nearby him. She plopped herself down the familiar armchair and put her bag aside. She tipped her head back, relaxing, while still shooting a glare at Scorpius.

"So some chic figured out you're in the hospital?"

Scorpius chuckled. "No, it was my mother who visited me earlier. She brought me a few books to entertain and some documents from work so I can at least do something. And talking about chic, I think Nurse Melinda here has a soft spot for me. She's been checking on me not every three hours, but rather every hour."

"I'll put a note on your file that the patient needs some serious rest and hence nurses will only be checking on the patient twice a day then." Rose huffed.

"I thought you can't have a say in my case since you're not my healer?" Scorpius bit his lips to hide his smile, fascinated to watch Rose fall into his trap and show her frustration at the mention of another woman.

"I can even have her off this case if I want to. Merlin knows what I can do with this hospital. DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK, MALFOY!" Rose screeched as Scorpius gazed at her, his eyes squinting with mischief. She really inherited the Weasley temper.

"Okay, Okay. But no need to sign Merlinda off the case. She was just being a passionate nurse." He protested.

"A _passionate_ nurse?" Rose furrowed her eyebrows, her blue eyes dwelling at those grey ones of Scorpius. She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped them in her arms. Scorpius noticed how casual, yet adorable she looked in a loose Cannons sweatshirt and grey lounge pants. Her hair was tied haphazardly in a bun, her face was flushed. Under the yellow light, everything in Rose reflected a warm orangy shade. What troubled Scorpius's sight the most were Rose's very noticable tiny toes, with painted red toenails. They were curling in anger, as her body was so ready to argue with him till the end of the matter. An image of Rose Weasley with those toes curled up and mouth purring as she was under him creeped into Scorpius's mind. He couldn't help but shrug. Merlin, why does testosterone have to visit him at this late of the day?

"Malfoy, stop giving me that creepy look." A murmur snapped him out of his imagination.

Scorpius pulled the blanket a little higher and gently placed the book above the spot that would likely bulge up. Rose was slowly becoming his friend, and she would never forgive him if she knew what he was thinking. He wouldn't dare risk their complicated relationship with any dumb act, for Rose wasn't just another nurse Melinda, or any chic he dated before. Rose was different.

She made his heart beat faster every time she walked into the room.

"Look, just forget Melinda, will you? I think the witch is a passionate nurse, just like I think you are a passionate healer, Rose. I mean it the most innocent and positive way." Scorpius sighed.

"Exactly! I'm a passionate healer. I have to be here for my patients, and I don't have time to wander around London, showing a visitor what the Big Ben looks like. My mum doesn't seem to grasp that idea." Rose pouted.

"So the reason of your grumpiness is your mother asked you to give someone a tour around London?" Scorpius chuckled.

"There's this young diplomat from Sweden and he's gonna be in England for a few days. The Ministry wants my mum to take care of his stay and she thinks since I'm at his age, it's the best idea to have me showing him around London."

"Funny." Scorpius nodded.

"I'm not as mad about that as the fact my dad agreed with her. Dad was usually on my side but this time, he argued I spent too much time with my gang, namely the redhead cousins, and hence I should try to get to know new people." Rose purred her lips.

"Tell them you're 25 and you have a life and patients to tend to and tests to pass."

"You don't get it." Rose sighed. "I already said that, then dad walked over me, patted my shoulder and went sappy 'Oi Rosie! I know you're busy and all. But help your mum anyway, will you? This would be an opportunity for you to relax as well; we worry that you're overworking and you'll be exhausted.' And when he's like that I can't really say no, so I'm mad at him."

"He sounds like a good father to me. He cares about your health." Scorpius said, a matter-of-factly.

"Or more like he cares about my mentality. My parents believe that I'm becoming an insufferable nerd as I have no love life whatsoever and spend most of my time within the walls of St. Mungo's. They have asked James and Albus to introduce their friends to me. Even with this Sweden guy, they just want me to get to know him and if possible, date him."

"Know what, Rosie. You need a boyfriend to ease your parents' minds." Scorpius laughed.

"Don't' Rosie me." Rose growled.

"Okay, Rose. You need a boyfriend."

Rose huffed and thought hard for a moment before her eyes sparked up and she beamed at him. "You can be my fake boyfriend."

Scorpius felt a pang in his chest. No, he would never, ever, want to be Rose's _fake_ boyfriend. "I can't. Your parents would grow too fond of me, they would actually scold you and get mad at you when we end the _fake_ relationship." He shook his head resolutely.

Rose sent Scorpius a glare, which he replied with a big grin on his mouth. Moments passed by and Rose smiled again as she came up with another idea. "I know who I can ask to be my boyfriend!"

"Who is it?" Scorpius asked, crunching his eyebrows.

"None of your business, now that you didn't want to help me out."

"I told you, with my smoldering hot look and my charming personalities, your parents will be scarred for life if they know you date me just for the sake of having a boyfriend." Scorpius faked a miserable sigh.

"More like my dad will be scared if he knows I date the son of his sworn enemy, and my mom be scarred if she knows I date the barmiest git of my age."

Rose bursted into a fit of giggles, not realizing her words hit Scorpius's heart rather bitterly. He forced himself a weak smile to join her, yet he looked down at the book on his lap, painfully aware of the situation he put themselves in. It's true they were children of the sworn enemies, and even decades had passed by since the war, he never heard his father mention Ron Weasley. A barmy git he is? Scorpius wouldn't be surprised if Hermione Granger, or even Rose Weasley thought of him that way. They, of course, had to assume that he was like his father, making the wrong choices and leading a wrong life. Even if he worked hard all his life, and be nothing than a good moral citizen and a true gentleman, he could never avoid the bad rumors, those like Scorpius Malfoy was expelled from Hogwarts and the similar.

Every incident that happened within the last two weeks flashed back in front of his eyes. His father was in a life and death accident. A healer refused to treat him. He wanted Rose Weasley to be off his father's case. He wanted this whole hospitalization thing a secret, as reporters were waiting anxiously like caged animals to feed any bad news about his family to the public. They had a company and many business issues to deal with when they got back to work.

So, maybe, keeping this affection for Rose Weasley and the fun of being around her, all for himself, would be a better idea. This feeling would come and soon gone as if it never existed. That would be easier for both of them.

Rose mumbled as she realized the mistake she just made."I didn't mean what I said, Scorpius. I don't think of you as the barmiest git of our age. I'm sorry." She looked up at him, her eyes hesitantly. Her hand impulsively reached for his, her small fingers laced with his long ones and her thumb caressed the back of his hand apologetically.

That was the second time they held hands. Yet it felt completely different. "It's nothing, Rose. I should let you study. It's rather late." Scorpius mumbled.

"Don't worry. I have studied for this quiz a few days ago. I'm good. You should sleep. You look tired. Probably from talking too much with me." Rose chuckled gently.

Scorpius nodded as he leaned back on the bed and pressed the button to flatten it down. Rose waved her wand and transfigured the armchair into a small bed. She lied down and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Scorpius still tossed and turned around moments later. He was still wide awake. He glanced at Rose curling up like a baby. She looked so small with her ginger hair spread widely across the pillow. His fingers twitched from not caressing her soft face. He reached for the wand his mother just brought in this morning, accioed the gray blanket with goose feather from afar, and flicked his wand so it dropped lightly and covered Rose's body. He smiled lightly as Rose unconsciously snuggled into it.

 ****So, a much longer chapter, and a very fast update for you guys. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to those who have reviewed, it made my day. Please continue to do so! And new readers, please don't click follow without leaving a few words. They motivate me to write the next banter between Rose and Scorpius!**


	8. Chapter 8

CH8

 _You and I go hard at each other like we're going to war_  
 _You and I go rough, we keep throwing things and slamming the door_  
 _You and I get so damn dysfunctional, we start keeping score_  
 _You and I get sick, yeah I know that we can't do this no more_

 _But baby there you go again, there you go again, making me love you_  
 _Yeah I stopped using my head, using my head, let it all go_  
 _Got you stuck on my body, on my body like a tattoo_  
 _And now I'm feeling stupid, feeling stupid crawling back to you_

Snow was falling heavier on the dimly lit London streets outside the window. As December was getting to an end, the temperature dropped a little more day by day, the biting cold promised England a very frosty, frigid holiday season.

Scorpius slightly shuddered as the night was getting colder. He pulled the blanket higher and turned to look at Rose, whose body was now completely covered in his favorite gray blanket. She must have been cold as well, he thought, what with the tiny frame and the spontaneous sleep. He wondered how her immune system could withstand a high level of stressful workloads followed by a series of occasional sleep episodes. Suddenly, Scorpius realized how selfish he was to ask Rose to spend the nights with him. He should have left Rose stay in the on call room, where the beds were far more comfortable according to her, or at her home as she deserved a long, undisturbed sleep on her day off. Even with the girls Scorpius'd slept with, he made sure they drifted off amongst the finest Cashmere silk sheets and woke up with a cup of rich coffee, whether he had little or no feelings for them. And here lying next to him the girl who made his heart soar and his stomach flutter, yet he failed to provide her a standard condition to rest. Scorpius cursed himself internally for being so inconsiderate.

The pager in Rose's bag went off, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the night. She sat up in a quick reflex and rubbed her half opened eyelids a few times before turning off the alarm. Scorpius shut his eyes, slowered his breathing and pretended to be asleep. He could sense Rose stretching her arms to fully wake herself up then walking over him. She placed her hand on the pillow, next to his head that was tilting aside as she spent a minute or so watching his still form. Scorpius was almost sure he felt Rose's fingers lightly grazing his hair. His heart was pounding uncontrollably at the sense of her touch. Rose checked Scorpius's readings on the machine once more, making sure all the IVs and medicine were given at the correct dose before tiptoeing to exit the room.

Knowing he was completely alone, Scorpius snapped his eyes open and stared at the ceiling, breathless. The realization dawned upon him: he was in love with Rose Weasley.

Scrunching his eyebrows, Scorpius let his mind wander to the roller coaster that his thoughts had been riding. Hours ago, he was all about keeping this affectionate feeling for Rose to himself, seeing that Rose's family may consider him no more than the barmiest git of his age. The condemnation wouldn't have hit him this badly hadn't it come from Rose's mouth. It troubled him to know she thought of him this way then went out of her way to be attentive to him and his father. His heart ached to deduce Rose didn't take any offense when he requested her off his father's case simply because she had already half expected such behavior from him, a wanker and all.

Eyes fixing at the ceiling, Scorpius huffed bitterly and laughed at himself. Every day, he yearned for her presence at his door. He looked forward to their banters, for he could smile wholeheartedly at her loss of a comeback as she gingerly checked on his wound. Rose made him loosen up, brought hope to him when his mind was chaotic with his father's coma, and treated him with so much respect that for the first time in years, he wanted to be known as Scorpius, rather than Malfoy.

Equally, for the first time in years, Scorpius felt angry at the prejudice the society have fixed on him. He had been following his parents' footsteps, ignoring the bad rumors and focusing on doing the good deeds. He never really gave a damn if his face was found on the Gossip Column, snogging senselessly a random slag in Knockturn Alley. Simply enough, it would be a waste of time to file a claim against Rita Skeeter and the sort for shamelessly manipulated his image, because the court wouldn't stand on his side. Scorpius and his parents had gotten used to the unfairness that they didn't expect any drastic change in the justice system the next thirty years or so.

But now, anger coursed through his veins at the thought of Rose reading the Daily Prophets with the news "Scorpius Malfoy expelled from Hogwarts" or "Scorpius Malfoy, womanizer of the century". He shuddered at the image Rose, against all her wrong impressions of him, treating him above and beyond requirement just because of her healer characteristics. His heart twinged in agony as the feeling insignificant towards her creeped into his mind.

"How are you feeling?" the familiar voice echoed from the door snapped Scorpius out of his stream of thoughts.

"I'm better, thanks. You don't need to check on me every four hours, you know. I'm sure you have your own share of patients that already worry the daylights out of you" said Scorpius, hoarsely.

"Oh so now you decide that I've been putting my nose in your business again." Rose scrunched her forehead at the hostility.

"No, I don't mean to, healer Weasley. I was just afraid I've taken too much of your precious time. I know you're a busy healer and all." Scorpius diverted his sight down the floor to avoid Rose's intense gaze at him.

"Is that a sarcastic comment, because I'm in no mood of arguing right now." Rose growled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Not at all. I'm also sorry for being inconsiderate when I asked you to spend the nights here with me. I'm indebted with your generosity, and I shall not bother you for another night." Scorpius spoke genuinely as insecurity took over him.

"Formality suits you well". Rose chuckled darkly. "Anyway, I didn't plan to spend another night here Malfoy. I have important things to tend to, as you so eloquently put it. I'm here to let you know healer Williams and I decide to sign off Mr. Malfoy's case and have him moved to the regular inpatient ward, now that he recovers so quickly. We figure you may want to meet him this afternoon, before he's transferred to another wing of the hospital."

Scorpius's mouth slightly dropped at the sudden news. He finally managed an answer. "Thank you, healer Weasley."

"Your healer will help you get in a wheelchair. He'll also help you learn to move around a little bit. I will meet you at five." Rose walked away without a second glance.

When Rose scrubbed out of her second surgery of the day, she rushed to Scorpius's room just right before five and was upset to see him still glued to his bed. Rose hid her blush at his striking countenance with white blond hair slicked back smoothly, revealing the sharp grey eyes by grumbling her face in frustration.

"Why are you still in bed?" Rose demanded.

"Healer Johnson is nowhere to be seen." Scorpius shrugged. He stared at her exasperated state with a slight amusement. She always looked adorable in that baggy blue scrub as her hand was propped against her hip.

"Probably he's in a surgery then. I've heard there's a fire on Fifth street." Rose sighed. "Very well then, I'll help you to stand up."

Scorpius stood up slowly as his hand gripped tightly to the post of the IV bag hanger. He smoothed his patient gown and faked a calm face, even though a sharp pain jolted through his body. Despite a throbbing pain lingering on his abdomen since morning, Scorpius ignored it, thinking he needed to deal with the lack of painkiller as Rose instructed. Determined to not be a whiny patient and only get Rose's attention out of her sympathy, he bit his lips as he strolled inch by inch towards Rose, who was waiting with the wheelchair two meters away.

"Aargh." Scorpius grumbled as he squinted his eyes in pain, his walk staggering before he fell forward to the floor. Rose jumped over in an instant and caught his falling body. She stumbled for a second as his heavy body relied on her delicate one; eventually she managed to get hold of him as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, preventing then both to fall again.

"Easy, Scorpius, easy." Rose mumbled words of encouragement as she slowly guiding him backwards to the edge of the bed. Rose gently laid Scorpius's head on the pillow and brought his legs to the mattress as he continued to grumble. The irritation she had for him since morning soon replaced by worry. Rose gently lifted his gown and whispered.

"Are you alright, Scorpius? I'm sorry. Let me check your wound."

Scorpius reluctantly removed his hands from the suture site and let Rose examine. He bit his lips, his chest heaving as Rose touched him rather firmly on the abdomen.

"You have an infection Scorpius. Looks like we need to put you on different medications."

"It's not too bad, I can handle it Weasley. Please wheel me to my father."

"I can handle it?" Rose huffed as she redressed his wound. " I'm afraid you are not even strong enough to sit on a wheelchair today, Malfoy. Unless you want your father to be wheeled here to see you, we need to let you meet him another time. If you weren't obstinate and told us about the pain rather than saying 'I'm fine', we could…"

"You told me the pain was normal and that should be expected with the lack of painkiller." Scorpius angrily interjected. He hadn't wanted her pity, surely now he didn't want her to see him stupid.

Rose shut her mouth. It was true she told Scorpius that piece of advice, yet if she wasn't too irritated by his sudden change of attitude towards her this morning, she could have come in, checked his wound and realized the developing infection. She could have told healer Johnson, her superior and healer of Scorpius's case, to increase Scorpius's antibiotic and change a few medications. The Weasley temper had blinded her judgement of a healer.

"I shouldn't have visited you and meddled with healer's Johnson treatment on you. He relied on me since I was here frequently, and now look at the consequence."

Rose bit herself internally for her careless act as she confessed her guilt, yet Scorpius understood her words entirely differently. His heart ached at the thought of Rose regretting that she was here to take care of him for the last few days. He covered the pain of being denied by Rose with his anger.

"I'm sorry again for bothering you too much, healer Weasley. I'm sure healer Johnson's care of me was good enough. As I believe, other patients under your care needed you more than me."

Rose silently nodded as she watched Scorpius slowly drifted to sleep from the medicine she just injected in him. She felt guilty for not letting Scorpius meet his father, seeing he had been excited every day to hear about his father's fast recovering. Scorpius had no idea how seeing him smile brightened Rose's day.

"Rose, you're here." Scorpius heard a deep voice as his mind was slowly relaxing.

"Healer Williams. Mr. Malfoy here has an infection, I'm afraid we can't wheel him to meet Mr. Draco Malfoy." Rose answered healer Williams.

"Oh, too bad. We'll have a nurse wheeled him to the East Wing once he gets better then. Shall we go to see Mr. Draco Malfoy?" The conversation was still going on nearby Scorpius's bed.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a moment. I have to sign off some documents. You know I'm behind with paperworks. Oh, and can we do dinner tonight at nine?" Rose smiled weakly.

"Dinner at nine?" Healer Williams hesitated for a second. " Sounds good to me."

"I'll see you at the front entrance then." Scorpius could sense Rose's hesitation before she finally spoke up.

"Great. And wear a big warm coat, Rose. It's freezing outside. It hurts me to see you always take so little care of your health."

Rose nodded and watched healer Williams exited the room. She adjusted Scorpius's IV and stood watching him. Her hands lightly grazed his silvery hair like she did earlier in the morning. Scorpius's heart pounded uncontrollably again at her touch. He irked to hold her hand and press it to his face, yet rationality froze him from the impulsive act. It dawned on him Rose didn't fancy him. She didn't plan to stay another night in his room as well, as she had a date with healer Williams, someone who cared about her being, unlike him, selfish and all. The idea hurt him so much.

It was close to midnight when Rose came back from the dinner with Healer Williams. She flooed to St. Mungo's, intended to spend the night at Scorpius's room, but the usual armchair was occupied by Astoria Malfoy. Rose figured Scorpius's condition didn't improve while she was away, hence his mother decided to stay overnight and take care of him.

Having been with Scorpius every single night since he was hospitalized, the thought that she couldn't come to check on him now made Rose uneasy. She stood outside the glass window and watched him sleep, recalling the peaceful nights she was studying in the armchair, and he occasionally looked at her. She hated that she didn't want to have any feeling for him other than professional, because Merlin knew Scorpius would laugh at her if he saw who she truly was, yet she couldn't help but have this affectionate feeling every time she saw him smile. Or laugh. Or complain. Or disgrunt. Scorpius made her heart twinge with every move that he made. She was like a moth, crashing and burning into the lights. His light.

Rose sighed heavily and walked away. She was hopeless when Scorpius Malfoy was the patient of the case.

When Rose woke up in the on call room the next morning, she reluctantly took another peek at Malfoy's room. Astoria was nowhere to be seen, and Scorpius was sat up, his face slightly better. Rose disgruntled: surrounding him were three gorgeous witches. She huffed and smirked bitterly as a witch with voluminous blonde hair sitting in the armchair shamelessly batted her eyelashes at him. Positioned at the edge of his bed was another girl, this one more fashionable despite her somber look. Probably she was hurt to only know about Scorpius's hospitalization recently, Rose thought. Her stomach quivered at the sight of the girl occupying her favorite spot on his bed. The last girl, who looked most reserved and prudent among the three, was smiling sheepishly as she arranged a colorful bouquet of flowers on the stand. She looked content to finally be able to see Scorpius.

"Healer Weasley. Why are you hiding?" Rose spun around, stuttered to see her teacher. "Healer Smith, good morning."

Scorpius jerked at the sound of Rose's name from afar. He leaned forward to look between the curves of the witches surrounding him, trying to spot Rose Weasley. There she was, talking and smiling sheepishly at her teacher. Scorpius couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. How dare Rose say she regretted visiting him. Seeing the petite form of Rose and knowing she was hiding around his room to look at him definitely made his day better. When healer Smith finally walked away, Rose ducked her head down, trying to escape the embarrassment as she was painfully aware of Scorpius staring at her, and decided to run away.

"Wait, Healer Weasley!" Scorpius screeched with all his might.

Stopping dead in the middle of her tract, Rose finally turned around and reluctantly walked into his room, her lips biting one another anxiously. " Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. How are you feeling?"

"A little better, I suppose. Healer Johnson hasn't checked on me since morning though." Scorpius murmured.

"Well, let's see." Rose strolled over to Scorpius's bed, making the girl sitting at the edge a little upset to step away. She ran the thermometer across his temple then checked the readings on the machine, her face faking a casual countenance as she asked. "And you three must be Mr. Malfoy's relatives?"

Rose swore she could hear Scorpius huffed before one of the girls answered her. "We are Mr. Malfoy's secretaries, healer."

"Three secretaries? You must be a really busy entrepreneur, Mr. Malfoy." Rose nodded curtly, her face radiating with frustration.

"They've been worrying about my absence for days, healer Weasley. My mother decided it's better to have a few more people knowing about our hospitalization. They have helped me tremendously with running the business while I was away." Scorpius explained miserably.

"Of course. I can tell the relief as well as happiness from your face, now that all of your excellent secretaries have come to assist you." Rose forced a grin at Scorpius.

"Assist me with our business." Scorpius emphasized.

"And probably many other things, I suppose, because you seem an awful lot better than yesterday. Anyway, it looks like the new medication is working great. With this progression you'll be able to sit up in the wheelchair and walk in a few days. Keep up the good work, Mr. Malfoy. Now, if you excuse me, ladies." Rose nodded curtly and exited the room without a second glance at Scorpius, who looked as miserable as a constipated old man.

When Rose scrubbed out from a surgery in the afternoon, she decided to pay Scorpius a visit. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked through the window to his room: the three gorgeous chicks were still surrounding him. The one who had been sitting on Scorpius's bed was still at the same spot; she was reading for him from a magazine. The blonde chick sitting in the armchair occasionally laughed at them; seemed like she was enjoying a joke that the first girl read. The third girl was waving her wand at the bouquet of flowers, making it bloom and die and rebloom in a matter of seconds.

Rose huffed. She bitterly laughed at Scorpius for finding companionship in these airheaded witches. The sight of him surrounded by some handsome chicks, who were desperately waiting to be wooed by his action so much as a shuffle of his blonde hair irked her to no end. Resolutely, Rose walked into Scorpius's room and crossed her arms.

"I'm afraid you have exceeded the visiting hours limit, ladies. I'm sorry to ask you to leave."

"Aww, too bad. Goodbye Scorpius. We'll see you tomorrow." Two of the girls pouted as they picked up their bags, the third one even placed a kiss on his forehead. Scorpius blushed as he weakly waved them goodbye. Rose stood still in a corner of the room, her eyes diverting away from the bothersome scene.

"And that you call a professional relationship between a boss and his secretary, I suppose." Rose chuckled darkly as she filled up the syringe with some potion. "Turn over. Pull up your gown."

"It was a get well soon kiss, although I didn't expect it. If you haven't noticed, healer Weasley, it is normal in our modern society to give a kiss in the forehead or even in the cheek when you say goodbye to someone, without meaning it to be a romantic kiss. OUCH OUCH." Scorpius screamed as the needled hit his flesh.

"Stay still."Rose growled as she cast a sideglance at Scorpius.

"Be gentler, will you? I have enough injections for days." Scorpius grimaced.

"Boohoo. I am such a crybaby." Rose imitated Scorpius's voice.

"Why are you so hostile, healer Weasley?" Scorpius furrowed his eyebrow as he pulled up his boxer and rolled down his long gown. "Are you jealous with my secretaries?" Scorpius leaned back against the pillow, eyes fixing on Rose.

"Me? Jealous with your secretaries? Please" said Rose, exasperated.

"Then why do you chase away my secretaries?" Scorpius crossed his arms.

" 'Thank you' is the words I should have heard from you. You apparently look miserable with their presence. And yes, as a healer I have a duty to make you rest. You staying here longer than normal expectation would ruin my reputation." Rose huffed as she glanced through his chart.

"Good excuse for meddling with my personal life. If I remember correctly, you kept saying you shouldn't have visited me from the beginning. I already let you off the hook and stop bothering you. Why didn't you just forget about me?" Scorpius gave Rose a quizzical look.

"Stop bothering me? Who called my name as I was running away this morning?" Rose waved her arm frantically.

"I saved you from your eternal embarrassment. You don't look good with ducking and hiding, Rose." Scorpius sighed.

"Because I didn't want to deal with your moodiness, you arrogant prat, yet I wanted to make sure you're okay and the infection is under control. Had you been worse the blame would have been on me, since I didn't check on your wound properly."

"I see. You were worrying I would destroy your career and reputation." Scorpius mumbled, his sight fastened at the ceiling.

"Yes." Rose nodded firmly.

"You care about me because it's the healer personalities in you, Rose", said Scorpius hoarsely, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Now you get it." Rose beamed at him.

"Please say it: you care about me only because it's the healer personalities in you." Scorpius stared at Rose.

"Why kind of request is that?" Rose frustrated.

"I mean it. I need you to tell me all the thing you've done for me is out of your nature of a healer."

"That's….you're ridiculous, Malfoy." Rose huffed.

"Yes, I am being ridiculous. But I need your honesty. Because I can't take your confusing acts any longer. You can't just keep rubbing to my face you regret visiting me then chase away all the chicks that like me because you think they are annoying." Scorpius growled in frustration.

"Muffliato!" Rose screeched as she flicked her wand, causing the door to shut hastily. "I regretted visiting you because then healer Johnson started to neglect you and we both cause your infection, you dimwit! Also now you admit those chicks maybe more than secretaries to you?" Rose waved her hand frantically as she paced around his room.

"Still, you refuse to admit that you don't like to see those chicks around me, secretaries or not." Scorpius smirked.

"Yes, I admit it. Are you satisfied? Is that your way to irk me because we fought yesterday?" demanded Rose.

"I didn't invite them over. My mother did. And I wasn't aware we had a fight yesterday." Scorpius said firmly.

"Right, because ' _I'm indebted with your generosity, and I shall not bother you for another night_ ' and ' _I'm sure healer Johnson's care of me was good enough. As I believe, other patients under your care needed you more than me_ ' was all sincere and venomous-less." Rose growled.

"Hah! I didn't know you learn my words by heart." Scorpius laughed sarcastically. "And yes, I was sincere when I told you to not sleep at this place anymore. I felt guilty for making you sleep in an uncomfortable chair when you deserve some good undisturbed drifting off. Sadly, you took my words as a sarcastic comment and decided to take out your revenge on me." Scorpius growled back at Rose.

"Me? Revenge on you? Please, give me some credit." Rose rolled her eyes.

"'Anyway _, I didn't plan to spend another night here, Malfoy. I have important things to tend to'."_ Scorpius imitated Rose's high pitch voice. " _' Oh, and can we do dinner tonight at nine, healer Williams_?" He glared at Rose. "Didn't you intend for me to hear your ridiculous dating story with that terrible bloke?"

"Hah! You stalker. I never intended for you to hear that. Blame your curiosity for not lurking you to sleep despite the medication. And no, I didn't ask healer Williams to have dinner on the spur of the moment just to spite you. We had a plan for our dinner before I argued with you. I was just changing the time from eight to nine." Rose leaned at the glass window, smirking.

"Stalker? I was miserable being forced to hear it. You gave me no choice."

"If it didn't bother so much you wouldn't bring it up now. And what's with the harsh words, Malfoy? ' _your ridiculous dating story with that terrible bloke'._ I hope you're satisfied with your insults, because let me remind you it's none of your bloody business anyway. You don't get to judge who I am with." Rose almost yelled, her face flushed with anger.

"Well if it's none of my business, let me friendly remind you who I talk to or enjoy being with is also none of yours. Please don't be so rude and chase my visitors away because the mood suits you."

"Rude. Yes I am. I was _saving_ you. And now look what I get? A blame from the person I rescued. Honestly, why did I care about you so much? You are ungrateful." Rose shook her head resolutely in disappointment.

Scorpius observed Rose in silent for a moment. He finally sighed and cleared his throat before went on speaking. "Unless you're jealous, Rose, which you continuously deny, your behavior towards my secretaries and the mocking you gave me in front of them are irrational and unmannered. If you truly believe you were saving me from the boredom that is their presence, then your ego is indeed too big for me to handle it."

Rose, in turn, stunned in silence. She crossed her arms as she felt defeated by Scorpius.

"Weasley," Scorpius continued, "since we're honest here, I need to tell you my feelings for you lately have become unprofessional. My mind is unstable when you're around. My heart soared with joy when I woke up from the surgery and saw you by my side. My chest twinged with sharp pain when I accidentally heard you have a date with healer Williams, as I figure it means you're gonna bring him to your parents and that Swedish bloke as your boyfriend. You continuously gave me hope then let me down. But today, when you made it very clear that all your care for me was out of your healer's nature and most of all, responsibilities, I am no longer confused by your actions. Now that I understand your thoughts about me, I mean it when I said I'm indebted with your generosity. I wholeheartedly would try my best to repay this gratitude as soon as I am strong and can get back to work."

Rose stood still. She could feel Scorpius's intense gaze burning her blue eyes. Spitting it out, that was his way to get her to admit or deny her feelings, now that they got to the bottom of their issue. Yet she was too dreadful to face herself this newfound feeling she had for him. She didn't want to admit she was jealous, at the same time she didn't want him to have a false idea she cared about him out of her personalities of a healer. Rose had reasons for being in the gray area, and now Scorpius was forcing her to bring their matter under light.

Rose cleared her throat. Scorpius could see a sparkling tear glinted in Rose's blue eyes, and he felt guilty for it. "Healer Williams is attracted to me, that much is true. Whether I will introduce him to my parents as my boyfriend, I'll let you figure out later. Yesterday, I invited healer Williams to a dinner, after hundreds of times refusing to have a dinner with him, because I feel like I owe him a great thank you. He overrode the protocols to let me have a second look at your father's injury, Malfoy. And I needed his help because I so wanted to save your father and see you happy. Hopefully this helps you understand how much you mean to me."

Scorpius's heart strung at every word Rose said. "I'm sorry... for misunderstanding you." He stammered.

"There's a big gap between you and me, don't you see, Scorpius?" Rose trembled. "I hope you understand everything is new and confusing for you as much as it is for me. I need time."

Without further talking, Scorpius nodded his head as Rose slowly discharmed the Muffliato and left the room. He lied down, exhaled after a long and tiresome argument with Rose.

Outside the glass window, the wind was howling wildly, making a sad monotonous sound. Scorpius decided to go back on full working mode and busied himself with all the documents. He figured when his brain was exhausting, he could easily fall into sleep without so much thinking about Rose Weasley, the freckles along her nose bridge and the stream of red hair wiggling when she walked around without a scrub cap. By working his arse off, he could stop his mind from wandering to the memory of every night having Rose in the same room with him, talking so much to him with just an affectionate glance and a subtle smile. Indeed, he needed work right now, because Rose had left.

Rose Weasley decided to come back to Scorpius Malfoy's room at eleven p.m on Christmas Eve, after fifty-six hours of being apart. When Scorpius woke up at the sound of the door open, Rose, in a vivid red dress and a snowy white coat, beamed at him. Despite the biting cold, Scorpius Malfoy was certain the sight in front his eyes make it the warmest Christmas.

 _ **A/N: wow, such a long chapter. It took me ten days and three major editing to finally finish it. I hope you like it. Give me review! Let me know what you think! Your comments motivate me to write the next chapter! And I am excited to tell you I have planned out the rest of the story.**_

 _ **Until next time :)**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, loves, I'm baaackkk! How are you all doing? I'm sorry for abandoning this story for a while; I was busy with life. Now we have to pick up the story on Christmas Eve, but I guarantee you it's a good chapter! Please enjoy!**

 _Midnight,_  
 _You come and pick me up, no headlights_  
 _A long drive,_  
 _Could end in burning flames or paradise_

"Where are we going?"

Scorpius asked, as Rose helped him into a wheelchair.

"Well, I figure you'd want to celebrate Christmas. Now Malfoy, you need to put on some warm clothes if we're going out in this biting cold."

He accioed his gray Cashmere scarf, matching gloves and a thick, black woolen coat from the drawer. Rose caught the items; her face looked rather amused.

"I've heard a rumor that Malfoys never go out if they're not properly dressed in luxurious clothing. I guess that a fact." She helped him put on the coat and he glared at her.

"Do you prefer me to wear this ugly hospital gown to celebrate Christmas with you then?" He huffed.

"Of course not." Rose chuckled. "I'm just mentally taking note in case the Witch Weekly wants me to give an interview about the Malfoys, you know."

"Funny." Scorpius scoffed. "Now where are we going?"

"It's a secret. I'll have to blindfold you until we safely apparate to my favorite spot." Rose beamed at him.

"My hands are already bound to all these portable devices. If you blindfold me, I'll look just like a wizard in bondage adult movies." He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, then." Rose huffed and Scorpius could see her blushing. She hooked an arm around his and they both closed their eyes.

A silver light was shining at Scorpius; he fluttered his eyes open and gaze at the scenery in front of him. "Godric Hollow." He looked up to Rose and chuckled.

"Yes. And the only café that opens on Christmas day is…"

"The Rusty Cauldron." Scorpius finished Rose's sentence. She opened her eyes in surprise. "You know The Rusty Cauldron?"

"It happens to be my favorite café. Let's go." He nudged her and she slowly wheeled him inside the large, wooden door. The stuffy air and chaotic atmosphere already made them feel better. Rose jerked up her head and glanced around; she cheerfully jumps in excitement when she spotted a seat.

"Lucky for us, there's a table at the window!" They slowly wormed their way to the far corner of the café, where through the window glass they could see snowflakes falling on the path. Rose pulled a chair away the table then pushed Scorpius's wheelchair in place. She flopped down next to him and smiled contentedly. "Phew. You're heavy enough to make me sweat during this weather."

He smiled at her in return; his hand miserably tried to remove the scarf. Rose giggled then leaned closer and helped him. "You're such a useless git, Scorpius." He huffed but didn't say anything; his mind was intoxicated with the smell of her fragrance.

"Mr. Malfoy and Healer Weasley! Of all people in the world!" A loud voice jerked them both and Rose turned around; Mrs. Dinger, the chubby and sweet owner of the café had approached them. Realizing Scorpius was sitting on the wheelchair, she widened her eyes in surprise and pointed at him. "Mr. Malfoy? What happened to you?"

"I just fell of the stairs and broke my leg, that's all." He beamed at Mrs. Dinger and mentally thanked the round table had covered the lowered half of his body.

"Mrs. Dinger, could I have…" Rose mumbled.

"Hot chocolate with hazelnut? I know it." Mrs. Dinger yelled triumphantly. "And you'll have the same, won't you Mr. Malfoy? Ha. It never occurred to me that you both fancy my hot chocolate with hazelnuts. How strange!"

Scorpius scrunched his eyebrows; he was surprised by Mrs. Dinger's remarks. He looked up the chubby lady and smile wryly. "Yes, two hot chocolates with hazelnut then."

"Alright! But given it's Christmas, don't you two fancy some…champagne? Or at least some Firewhiskey?" Mrs. Dinger planted her hands on her hips and sent them a quizzical look.

"Erm…I'm afraid not. I have to work early tomorrow and alcohol would meddle with Mr. Malfoy's medication." Rose beamed at her.

"Two hot chocolates with hazelnuts for my two favorite customers then!" Mrs. Dinger waved dismissively at them and strolled away.

"How come we never met in this café, given you have such a weird taste like me." Rose scrunched her forehead.

"It's a sophisticated taste, Rose." Scorpius smiled. "I never knew we have such similarity!"

Rose sipped a gulf of hot chocolate as soon as it came out, her eyes half closed in content. Scorpius chuckled and reached for her lips. She looked startled. "What are you doing?"

"You've got chocolate stain on your lip." He gently wiped the smear away, and she shivered at his touch.

Music was changed from upbeat tunes to slow, relenting Christmas melodies. Rose leaned on the wooden table, fingers grazing the rim of the plastic cup. Scorpius cleared his throat.

"So, where have you been all day?"

"At work, then I visited the Burrow for Christmas Eve's dinner." She hummed.

"Did the Swedish bloke tag along?" Scorpius chuckled.

"Merlin, yes. My mother even invited him there." Rose huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Erm, does that mean you also invited Healer William to your family's dinner as…" Scorpius cleared his throat. "…your boyfriend?"

Rose bursted into a fit of laughters then firmly grabbed his shoulder, as if she would fall off the chair if she didn't have something to hold on.

"What's so funny about my question?" Scorpius's face heated up.

"So, I didn't take William with me. But I did manage to convince my extended family that I do have a boyfriend. That's the fun part." Rose laughed.

"Even James, Fred and your uncle George believe in you?" Scorpius widened his eyes.

"Many of my cousins weren't there. But the adults did believe me. Although it required a lot of practice…of making up stories."

"You're the most wicked Weasley then, Hr. Weasley." Scorpius sent an affectionate glance at Rose. He just simply adored watching her being lively and carefree.

"Why thanks, Mr. Malfoy." Her eyes glinted in mischief. She loved the banters in which he called her Weasley and she called him Malfoy.

"Say Weasley, how does this imaginary boyfriend of yours look like?" Scorpius's eyes dimming.

"Twelve foot high, a tonne heavy, and an enlarged head made up of two brain cells." Rose's eyes sparkled.

"Sounds like you're dating a troll." Scorpius nodded repeatedly. Rose patted his shoulder and burst into a fit of giggles as her head settled in the crook of his neck. One of her arms wrapped around her small belly as if she was laughing to the point of tears.

Rose's bouncy mane gently brushed on Scorpius's cheek and nose. He quietly inhaled the fresh smell from her hair, his head slightly tilted aside to nudge Rose. His heart fluttered at their skin contact. He never thought one day he could be this close to her. He never thought he could be deliriously happy just by hearing her laughters.

"But seriously." Rose looked up and swiped a tear in her eyes. "I need to find another way to avoid this boyfriend conversation with my family. I can't keep telling them my boyfriend's working in South Africa."

Scorpius's face heated up. He took a deep breath then turned to Rose, his gray eyes piercing her blue ones. "You…you could have a real boyfriend, if you want to, Rosie." His hand gently reached for hers.

Rose blushed. She stared at his yearning eyes, her lips biting one another anxiously. Reluctantly, she gently took his hand off hers. Scorpius felt a pang in his chest.

"Scorpius…loving me is pointless. You won't be happy if you're with me." Rose sighed.

"I have never been this happy before, until I met you. Unless you don't want to be with me, unless all the things you did for me was purely out of your healer nature, I don't see any problems in us loving each other."

Rose just sat still.

"Okay then, I get your message, loud and clear. It's just that, if we go back to being civil, please don't randomly throw your tantrum at me and my secretaries, or tell me this feeling is all new and confused to you. I poured my heart out to you, please don't toy with my feelings." Scorpius's eyes grew cold.

"I don't toy with your feelings." Rose smirked bitterly. "You know I don't treat you like the next patient. I tried my best to keep it professional with you, but I failed miserably. I'm a mess when you're still at the hospital, Malfoy, because I keep coming back to you and I don't want to." Rose stared at her shoes defeatedly.

"Is it because I'm a Malfoy that you're afraid to love me?" Scorpius asked, his fingers grazing the rim of his then cold chocolate. It's not something new to him that people are reluctant to be related to a Malfoy.

"You're a Malfoy but you make me happier than anyone I've met before. I just can't be with you because, as lamely as it sounds, I'm scared of love." Rose chuckled darkly.

"Scared of love? Care to elaborate, Weasley? Because I'm scared of many things. Scared of devious plots. Scared of lies. Scared of ill-minded rumors. But I'm never scared of love."

Rose looked up at Scorpius, her face perplexed. She could see he was trying hard to protect himself and his family from the cruel things people threw at them. Lies. Plots. Rumors. She understood how he got his cold manners. He was misjudged and mistreated so many times that he was no longer able to reveal his good traits.

Yet when Rose was with Scorpius, she got to see who he really was: a caring and thoughtful son, a charming and sensible guy. She was hopelessly attracted to his smile, his voice and his touch. His sensibility brought her joy. She felt content and easygoing just by being around him. They joked and teased and enjoyed each other's company as if they have known each other for a long time.

But Rose was scared of love; she was honest about it. She had reasons; reasons and memories that made her who she was now.

"Do you think love is enough, Malfoy?" Rose mumbled.

Scorpius contemplated for a long moment.

"Yes, I do. I don't know about you, but your love is enough for me." He glanced at her.

"Enough to…?" Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Enough for me to give up all my wealth if I need to. Enough for me to stand in front of your father and tell him that his sworn enemy's son would like to date his daughter. Enough for me to be happy if I receive hexes and curses from your family as their blessings. And," Scorpius cleared his throat. "enough for me to face all public's sneers and insults when they know we're a couple." Scorpius said sternly.

Rose longed at him, her eyes teary. She gently reached for his chin and caressed the stubble skin. She was moved by Scorpius's answer. She knew he gave a serious thought about the consequences of them dating. But there was this thing he was unaware of.

"Will you love me enough to never have any physical interaction with me?"

Scorpius squinted his eyes, baffled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Rose swiped a tear that fell on her cheek. "will you ever love me enough to hold my hand, and kiss me, but never have sex with me, and still feel okay about it?" She leaned closer to the table and murmured. Their conversation was getting personal.

Scorpius gaped. "Don't get me wrong, I love you for your personalities, not for satisfying my sexual desire. But what's wrong with intimacy down the line when an adult witch and an adult wizard become a couple?"

Rose let out a breath she was holding rather too long and shook her head. "I know you love me for who I am. I'm just asking if your love is big enough that you can refrain from sexual activities and will not resent me sometimes later."

Scorpius sighed. "Rose, we are twenty-four. And you are a healer. You know Biology pushes us to be hormone driven and sexually active so we can produce some offspring. If you want me to wait for you and practice celibacy until we get married, given that we do, then I'm happy to…"

"No, I don't mean that." Rose interrupted him. "I mean it when I said we can't be together, because I don't want to have sex with…anyone, I mean, you." She said hesitantly.

"What do you mean you don't want to? Is it because I'm defective or something in your eyes?" Scorpius's voice was rather sad than angry. Rose sighed. She noted that he had a lot of insecurities.

"No, I never said that, Scorpius." Rose put a hand on his.

"Or you mean you can't have sex because you're having some sort of disease? Or you're simply incapable of having a child? Because if that's the case then we'll find a good healer to treat you. And if we can't have our own child, don't let that discourage you from being with me, because we can always adopt one." Scorpius held her hand firmly.

Another tear fell on Rose's cheek. She smiled sadly. "Scorpius, thank you for loving me enough to come up with adopting if I can't have a baby. I don't have any sexual disease that bars me from conceiving a child. I just…I don't want to have physical interactions with a man. And I'm aware that is so against the nature of human being, of men to be precise, that's why I don't want to be involved with anyone."

"You don't trust me enough to…?" Scorpius asked. Rose shook her head to interrupt him. "No, Scorpius. I've been honest with you more than I want to. If you love me enough, you'd have to respect that I have certain things that I keep to my own, and that you'll have to refrain from being intimate with me for the rest of my life."

Rose cleared her throat. "And honestly, I don't want you to love me that much, because I understand the severe consequences of going against nature. If you don't resent me later on for this lifetime celibacy, you'd betray me. That would turn this love into a tragedy."

Scorpius could not utter another word. He knew Rose was right. It's impossible for a man to love a woman and not having any physical interaction with her for the rest of life.

"Whatever happened to you, Rose, I wish to heal the pain it caused for you." Scorpius whispered.

"I can't tell you anything more about me. I meant it when I say we can't be a couple. Now you know the reason, you should accept that we don't belong together, be content about it and move on. I'll be the best friend you could ask for." Rose smiled sadly.

"Let's go back to the hospital. It's been a long day." Scorpius murmured. She held her hand and together they apparated back to St. Mungo, oblivious to the fact a paparazzi has captured their picture.

* * *

 **So, how do you like it? Could I exchange my three day of hard work for one minute of your review? I promise to update faster; those of you who read my other stories know I'm a frequent updater.**

 **If you're worried, then No, Rose wasn't a rape victim. We'll have to see why she behaved so strange. But I'm thinking about changing this story from T level to M level, seeing as I may have to write some intimate scenes. Can intimate scenes (but not explicit sexual content) be classified in T though, anyone knows? Let me know, shoot me private message, be anynomous reviewer if you have to! I want to hear from you!**


	10. Chapter 10

__**Thank you! Thank you Korena-Li, guest, Orion, and ShePotter! You literally have lightened up my week! Every time I read your reviews I only want to hug you all. So I push myself to write harder and faster, but well...I could only write when the mood is appropriate. Anyway,here is another chapter. Hope you'll enjoy.**__

* * *

 _But if you wanna cry, cry on my shoulder_

 _If you need someone who cares for you_

 _If you're feeling sad, your heart gets colder_

 _Yes I'll show you what real love can do_

The last few days of December were frigid and frosty. More witches and wizards got into traffic accidents, and Rose could barely take a rest from work. Her schedule alternated between operating, doing rounds and studying for a big exam in January. She literally had no time to answer her mother's letters; she completely forgot her scheduled night out with Al, which resulted in him refuse to picking up his electric owl and listening to her apology.

" _Dear Al,_

 _I'm sorry that I stood you up on Friday. I was busy…saving lives, as you already figured. Hihi, they didn't come out to be such arrogant words, did they?_

 _Anyway, could I make up to you and your girlfriend by taking you two to Thai Jasmine tomorrow night? Think about it, Al: having a romantic dinner of creamy coconut curry and pineapple crab fried rice with your girlfriend and your favorite cousin on New Year's Eve. And best of all? Free of charge._

 _If you settle with the dinner (and accept my apology), please give me a call. You know I could have five extra minutes saving life by talking to you on the electric owl, instead of writing this boring letter._

 _Love,_

 _Rose"_

A few hours after the letter was sent, Rose's electric owl rang when she was standing, scribing a chart at the nurse station.

"Hello?" She mumbled without taking eyes off the document.

"Fine! Bring your bloody boyfriend with you!" An indignant yet sulky shriek that was louder than a howler jolted on the line, then it turned flat. Rose scrunched her forehead, eyes narrowing at the screen: 'Albino Severe Potter.' She chuckled at the blinking name. It was how her electric owl function after she accidentally dropped it in the bath tub one day.

Wait, did Al tell her to bring her boyfriend? Rose's face crumbled in horror. She quickly dialed Al's number.

"What's up now?" Still the sulky tone on the line.

"My boyfriend is still in South Africa!" Rose groans. A few nurses threw at her disgusting looks for ruining the quiet atmosphere.

"Well didn't you tell James that your boyfriend would be here on Friday to celebrate New Year with you?" Albus grunted. Shoot! Rose forgot all the lies she had come up with on the day she visited the Burrow.

"Um...He's actually not in London yet." Rose stammered.

"Why isn't he? Or is the truth that you still haven't managed to get a bloke's attraction, Rose?" Albus giggled.

"Bugger off, Al. I'm not going to introduce you to my boyfriend." Rose growled.

Albus laughed out loud, as if he wasn't intimidated by Rose's words at all. "So you don't have a boyfriend, indeed. Ha! Imagine aunt Hermione's reaction when she knew you were lying! She would be thrilled to let that Swedish diplomat stay at your house a few more days then…."

"Your dinner invitation is cancelled." Rose huffed.

"Well then you probably won't see me again for the next six months or so. I'm going back to Paris." Albus cleared his throat. "Rosie, just admit you still haven't got a boyfriend and I'll introduce you to Lucas. He works for the Auror department in Lyon and he's got a charming French accent…."

"No no no, I'll bring my boyfriend." Rose interrupted Albus. Just like her parents, Albus always concerned that working as a surgeon would turn her into a 'mean, uptight, senile and mental old lady' (Al's words) even before she turned forty. They decided that Rose needed a bloke to 'unwind and relax', hence Operation Find Rosie A Boyfriend was on for two years now.

"You're sure? Should I let Lucas tag along just in case?" Al chuckled.

"No Lucas, please. I'll take my boyfriend with me."

"See you tomorrow at seven then, Rosie."

Rose gently banged her head on the counter and sighed desperately. Her face crumbled, trying to find an excuse to go alone without letting Albus down. A few minutes of raking her head, Rose decided that it's a better idea to find a random bloke and introduce to Albus tomorrow night. That way he and the rest of her extended family would drop the idea of match-making her with their barmy colleagues, once and for all.

But who would that bloke be? Surely she didn't have to search for one on Craiglist, did she?

Rose peered at her watch, which signaled eleven p.m, and sighed. She had less than twenty-four hours to find an available bloke to play the role of her boyfriend. Sometimes Rose hated her family's over-caring trait so much. If only they knew their concern would only bring more troubles to her. Every year she was getting more and more anxious to visit the Burrow, or her house, or even Al, because they would simply worry about her then start their endless conversation about how she needed to relax. On the contrary, if she avoided them and simply didn't show up in family gatherings without a proper reason, they'd just worry more that she might have died rotten under an operation table.

Hands clutching the material to be tested in the morning, Rose slowly strolled along the dark and quiet hallway, her face deep in thought. Only when passing a familiar room basked in warm yellow light did Rose stop middle of her track.

It was Scorpius's room. He was sitting up against the pillow, his left arm holding a book while his right arm resting on the mattress with an IV sticking into it. His fine features were glowing in the dim light. He looked so calm and angelic when he put his guard down that she felt sorry for him to have to act cold and mean most of the time.

Rose let out a small sigh as she silently observed him from a corner. It had been a week since Rose and Scorpius last talked to each other at the Rusty Caudron. She knew he was lost and disappointed when she denied to be his girlfriend without explaining why. She did actually give him a chance to say yes, but asking him to practice celibacy forever was simply as cruel as denying him. She was too mature to have unrealistic hope about relationships; hence it's better for them to stay friends.

Scorpius looked up to see Rose staring at him. He dropped his book on the lap and raised an eyebrow at her, which made her abruptly spin around.

"Rose, wait." He called after her.

Rose sighed. All she needed was him calling her name, then she could never escape him. Reluctantly, she turned her heels and walked to his room.

"Hello, Scorpius. You haven't slept yet?" She mumbled as she reached his bed; her healer nature automatically made her check on his IV, or maybe she was not sure what to say to him.

"Nah. I'm reading a very interesting book." Scorpius chuckled and Rose's heart twinged. The hectic work schedule might have made her forgotten how dashingly handsome he was.

"Well, good for you. You look an awful lot better today." Rose purred her lips and smiled weakly.

"And you look exhausted today. What's going on?" Scorpius patted his hand on the mattress, motioning Rose to perch on it.

"Nothing. Just…work…a lot of work…I'm sick of blood and mangled limbs…and family issue." Scorpius's silvery voice was all it took for her to surrender. She plopped herself on the edge of the bed and duck her head in her hands miserably.

"Ouch!" Scorpius jerked up, his whole body jolted in pain.

"Oh, Scorp. I'm so sorry!" Rose clumsily stood up after realizing she accidentally sit on his hand that was injected with a needle. After checking that it was still fine, she held his hand and gently ran her thumb on his skin, her eyes welled up with tears. "I'm so sorry, Scorp. I was so careless."

"Hey, I'm fine. Please…don't cry." He managed to mutter a few words, his face still crumbled.

Rose sniffed as teardrops started to roll down her cheeks. She stood motionless next to Scorpius's bed for a moment, her eyes glued on the floor.

Still having his aching hand caressed by Rose, Scorpius heavily rolled over so that his left hand could wipe the tears on her face.

To his amazement, she started to sob louder. Scorpius perplexed. "Hey, shush, come here." He beckoned her closer and Rose knelt down at his side, her face burrowed in the space between his body and his arm. Scorpius gently stroke her back, patiently listening to Rose giving him a good cry.

After a minute or two when Rose felt much better with Scorpius's caressing, she took a deep breath to regain composure. "Sorry I wet your sheets." Rose chuckled weakly and pointed at the damp area of the mattress she had cried on, her red eyes swollen. "Oh, that came out wrong." She blushed.

"That's exactly what a bloke wishes for." He smirked at her, his heart delighted to see her smile again.

"Malfoy!" Rose glared at him then plopped on the chair next to his bed.

"Hey, whatever makes you smile again." He raised his hand defeated.

"I'm a mess." Rose mumbled.

"Well, looking at your face I can tell you've been sleepless for nights. How about you take a rest, Rose?" He glanced at her, worries etched on his features.

"I can't. I still have to study for the exam tomorrow, then operate on two patients and then…" Rose sighed, "find a fake boyfriend and shove him in Albus's face so that he would drop the issue for once and all." She run her fingers through the red mane.

"It's almost midnight now, I suggest you get your beauty sleep first then wake up early tomorrow…"

"I can't sleep when I'm not done studying! And I can't study because my mind is bothered with the idea that I have to find a bloke to shove in Albus's face!" Rose waved her hands exasperatedly.

Scorpius swallowed hard, slightly intimidated by her erratic ranting. What just happened between them reminded him the night when his father was first admitted to the hospital, and he was just going mental with all the things that were thrown at him all at once.

"Easy, Rose. You're stressed out. Everything's gonna be alright." He reached for the glass of water on his night stand and handed to her.

"I can't be alright because it's almost midnight now and I still haven't studied a single word." She snorted even though she took his water and downed in one gulp. Too much crying made her dehydrated, Scorpius noted.

"How about this? I'll stay up with you and wait until you finish studying." He glanced at her, smiling.

"No, you need to rest, Scorpius. I can't bother you." She said guiltily.

"I'll be discharged tomorrow. It's my last night at the hospital. Might as well spend it with you, eh?" He chuckled.

"What, they sign you off tomorrow? How are they so sure that you're completely recovered?" She mumbled, her face scrunched up in disapproval.

"Miss me already, Weasley?" He sent a mischievous glance at her.

"Of course. I can't survive when you're not here." She rolled her eyes, a sarcastic look plastered on her face.

"Is that so?" He chuckled amusedly. "Good that my mischievous, wicked Weasley is back."

"You're no help here. I gotta go." She scoffed.

"Come on, Rose." Scorpius reached for her and faked a wince as he moved, knowing it would trouble her.

"Stop moving if you want to recover completely and get out of here first thing in the morning." Rose turned around and grumbled.

"Fine, then don't leave." He blurted out.

"I can't study here because you'd keep staring at me. And if I can't study then I can't think of finding somebody to shove it to Al's face tomorrow." She exasperated.

"Easy, Rose, easy." He knew her stress was triggered again. "Now, what is it about the urge to shove a bloke in Albus's face?"

Rose crossed her arms, defeated. "I'm gonna have dinner with Al and his girlfriend tomorrow night. He wants to meet my boyfriend."

"Simply say no to him then." Scorpius shrugged casually.

"That's what I did, then I figured that if I bring a boyfriend with me, Albus and the rest of my family will believe in my story and spare me from their match-making efforts from now on."

"Smart move." Scorpius nodded.

"But," Rose mumbled, "I can't think of anyone at the moment. I don't have that many guy friends; all the blokes I know are either my superiors or my cousins." She admitted, her somber eyes fixed on the floor.

"Well, I can pull off an 'I'm from South Africa' look, if you don't have any other option." He shrugged nonchalantly, trying to keep a normal voice.

"Are you sure? I have caused you too much trouble…" She trailed off.

"Didn't you say we're good friends? Plus it's the only way I can repay you, after what you've done to my father and me." He glanced at her.

"Thanks, Scorpius." Rose beamed at him. She reached for his hands and gently caressed it.

"Watch out, woman. You may crush it again." He faked a serious look.

"I won't." Rose chuckled; she slowly laid her back against the chair and exhaled deeply. Half of her problem had been solved.

Scorpius watched Rose smiled and his heart fluttered. He couldn't help feeling happy around her. She entered the room and it was lit up There was so much energy in her that turned everything surrounding her colorful and vivid. But today Rose was sad, so he wanted to try everything he could to cheer her up. He didn't care if he had to be her friend.

"Say, Rose, you spend the night here studying while I finish my book?"

"You should sleep." She pointed at him.

"I can't put this one down, it's so good. I won't bother you. We can be alone together." He risked a flirt at her.

Rose chuckled and grabbed her study notes. Scorpius picked up his book, pretending to go back to reading. The innocent look on Rose's face when she's lost in thought made his heart pound wildly. He irked to reach for her cheeks and caress the smooth skin, yet he dared not move as much as his little finger. She already friendzoned him, didn't she? He could only act civil when she's awake.

So Scorpius waited until Rose drifted off in the chair next to him. He stood up, his right hand that was still attached to the IV bag gently held her head while his left hand reached for the wand and transfigured the chair into a small couch with a flick. Scorpius slowly laid Rose down and put a warm blanket on her. Gathering all his courage, his planted a soft kiss on her forehead and turned off the light. Rose smiled contentedly in her sleep.

Still wide awake, Scorpius stared at the dark ceiling. He sighed heavily; the question Rose asked him on Christmas's Eve lingered on his mind.

Would he love her enough to simply be happy around her and not have any physical interaction with her for the rest of his life?

 **A/N: so, how do you like it? I wish I could update faster, I have the whole story planned out but I can only write when the mood suits me. I can't write a happy chapter when I'm sombre and vice versa. You'd have to be patient and bare with me then. In the mean time, please review! It'd mean a lot to me!**


	11. Chapter 11

"Rosie."

Leaning off the windowsill, Rose tended to the sound of her name. Scorpius casually strolled across the narrow hallway, lips gracing a cheerful smile as he saw her. Rose blinked her eyes, watching him closing their distance. He looked like the main hero in a movie. His composure was calm and sure; his body was glowing in the warm rays of the sunset. He looked so dashingly handsome in a Muggle classic suit and shiny Oxford shoes.

But there was more to him than the appearance. It was sure she didn't like him because of those grey eyes or defined, chiseled chin. In fact, Rose fell for Scorpius when he was weakest, smelly and ghostly. Having had witnessed quite a few times the thin line between life and death, the simple sight of Scorpius healthy, robust walking towards her filled her heart with content.

As Scorpius closed the distance, his face turned a bothersome expression. In front of him, Rose looked washed out with messy hair and baggy eyes. Her scrubs were stained with blood smears and imprints of some unidentifiable objects.

"Hi," she said weakly.

"You left the room early this morning, I noticed." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I had to check up on some patients before leaving for the exam."

"I suppose you kicked its ass?" He flashed a smile at her, to which she responded with a weak nod.

"Then shall we go meet Al and celebrate this achievement?" Still with a determination to cheer Rose up, Scorpius gently seized Rose's shoulders.

"I think I'll have to let Al down again." Rose sighed.

"What happened?"

"There was an emergency. I was pulled in a Muggle brain contusion surgery. I just got out a few minutes ago." She mumbled.

"How did it go?" His words were like a whisper to Rose.

Rose looked up to Scorpius. There was sadness, disappointment, and even fear in her blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He muttered, hand masking his lips.

"It's okay." She said, her voice croaky, suggesting the otherwise.

Scorpius pulled her into an embrace, not bothering the fact her dirty scrub was pressing on his clean suits. Couldn't care less about curious eyes darting at them, a healer and a patient hugging in the hospital hallway, Rose rested on his chest and closed her eyes, letting the rhythmic patting on her back do its job of easing her sorrow. They stood silent for a moment until Rose felt like she could properly breathe again. Suddenly, she realized how much solace she found from leaning on his steady shoulder at times like this.

"Shall I escort you to your place instead?" Scorpius muttered in her ears.

"That's not necessary," Rose pulled herself away. "You know what, I shouldn't behave like this. You're just discharged and you're here to have dinner with me and all I think about is myself-"

"It's quite alright. You need a real break from work."

"-and I'm sorry that I've ruined your suit." Rose blabbed the last few words, despair evident in her tone.

"Hey, I can always _Tergeo_ this." Pointing at the grey tweed jacket, he winked his eyes. "Don't let me be one more thing you have to worry about, okay? I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah, said the bloke who just got discharged from a major surgery. I hadn't even taken a look at your wound before you left." She protested weakly.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll let you have a look at my body again if you promise to go home and rest after this." Unceremoniously, he pulled her to the nearest empty room.

"Are you insane?" Blood rushing in her cheeks, Rose squealed as she clumsily closed the door. Scorpius swiftly loosened his scarf then took of his jacket and unbuttoned the white shirt.

"No, but this will take one thing off your mind." He answered monotonously. "Come one Rose, I'm waiting."

"This is not even an exam room and that is not even a proper exam bed." Rose retorted, trying to mask her embarrassment.

"It's because, as you will see in a minute, I don't need a proper check-up. I am completely healed, and therefore, discharged."

Rose huffed at Scorpius and started to press her fingers on his abdomen around the liver area. He gazed at her focused face, hands twitching from refraining to touch her cheeks and ease her worry.

"The redness has gone, which is good." She pursed her lips and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you, healer Weasley. Now can I take you home so that you could have some rest?" Scorpius sit up and buttoned up his shirt.

"I don't need rest, Scorpius. I need some strong Firewhiskey." She glanced at him, eyes pleading.

Twenty minutes later, Rose showed up in a deserted waiting area on the fourth floor. The common lounge was rather empty and she could easily spot from afar a tall figure studying the portrait of Alexander, the Great Healer.

"Scorpius!"

Scorpius turned around, his heart fluttered at the sight of Rose in a brown coat and red gloves waving at him. Unable to move, he stood frozen as she strolled briskly towards him.

"Erm…hi? Are you petrified?" Rose's eyebrows raised.

"Erm, hi, Rose. You look lovely." He gathered his courage to hand her a bouquet and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. Even it was not the first time they had physical contact, Scorpius felt blood coursing through his veins. His lips tingled from its first contact with her skin.

"Ranunculus! It's beautiful! Thanks, Scorpius. Where did you hide the flowers all this while?" She beamed at him, trying to mask the shyness.

"Here." Scorpius patted on his jacket's pocket.

"Magical! What charm did you use?" She grabbed his arms, pleading.

"And what do I get in return if I tell you?" He smirked.

"I'm taking you to a fabulous Thai restaurant, aren't I?" She grinned.

"Which I'm going as a favor to you, need I say?" He crossed his arms.

"Speaking of which, I have two options for you. You can either be him-" Rose pulled out two pictures from her coat and handed Scorpius the first one, "-or him" then shoved the second picture in Scorpius's hand.

"Toby Stephens? Jude Law?" Staring at the pictures, Scorpius widened his eyes in horror.

"You know them?" Rose raised her eyebrows, genuinely surprised.

"Who doesn't know them, Rose?" Scorpius still looked disturbed.

"They're rather unpopular actors. I reckon you blokes won't know…" She said apologetically.

"Do you really think I'd pull off a boyfriend-working-in-South-Africa look if I transfigure into these actors?"

"Albus never watches Muggles shows." Rose said, defeated.

"I'm sure he'll know." Scorpius argued.

"How do you know he'll know? You guys were never friends!" Rose rolled her eyes.

"I just know." Scorpius shoved his hands in his pants pockets, looking unimpressed. "Honestly, Rose, I can't believe these old blokes are your celebrity crushes."

"Excuse me! They are very fine and talented-" Rose squeaked, arms flailing in the air.

"Fine. But I'm not transfiguring myself into any of them. This is an insult to a handsome bachelor like me."

"Fine, Mr. Arrogant." With a flick at Scorpius, Rose turned his hair and skin several shades darker. Scorpius touched the newly-formed thin mustache and a scar on his cheek with horror.

"What is this? A scar?"

"You were famous in Hogwarts for your abnormal chiseled face. This is the only way to make it look rounder." Rose answered monotonously.

"It's itchy." He groaned.

"Come on, I'm not even transfiguring you. This is just simple makeup and the charm will wear off at midnight." Rose conjured a pair of glasses out of thin air and handed to him.

"So we're not staying until New Year's?" Scorpius asked as he pulled out a silk handkerchief from his pocket and cleaned the glasses.

"Sadly no, I intend to floo home when dinner is over. New Year Countdown is overrated anyway." Rose took one last glance at her fake boyfriend, who now looked much more mature and accomplished. The only trace that remained Scorpius's and that helped her recognize him was his steel grey eyes.

"What's that?" Scorpius asked as he saw Rose's face scrunching after reading a message from her electric owl.

"Al wants to meet at the Emerald City Pub instead."

"I thought you said you also want some strong alcohol," he said nonchalantly.

"I do, indeed. We might as well talk about your South Africa experience over some Scots whisky." Rose nodded approvingly.

"Then shall we?" Scorpius extended his arm, and Rose wrapped her red-gloved fingers around it. They stepped into the fireplace and with a throw of the Floo powder, the couple were engulfed in the green flame.

* * *

"All hail the Queen."

The bells jingled and James Potter yelled as he spotted a familiar red mane bobbing at the entrance. Rose turned her head right and left, eyes squinting as she scanned the crowd, trying to single out Albus Potter. She stopped dead in her track when she noticed a group of red-hairs waving erratically at her.

"Ouch. What's wrong?" Following Rose from behind, Scorpius bumped into her.

"I'm sorry Scorpius, but we were set up." Rose spun around, her face mortified as she jerked her head towards a corner of the bar.

"Err…this is rather…unexpected," Scorpius gulped, feeling intimidated by the sight in front his eyes, "but we'll manage."

"I really owe you big this time." Rose glanced at him, eyes defeated. Scorpius nodded and smiled. He offered to hold Rose's hand, and together they wormed their way to the large wooden table in the corner, half hidden by a tall Christmas tree and an array of empty gift boxes.

Hands propped on the hip, Rose glared at the gang who were beaming at her. "Why are you all here?"

"Easy, Rosie. We heard our favorite healer decided to take a day off and socialize so naturally, we have to be here. After all, seeing her is even harder than seeing the Muggle Queen." Fred flashed a coy grin and squeezed Rose's shoulder.

"And what is the chance of meeting our favorite healer's well-hidden boyfriend? Smaller than being in a Muggle plane crash, I tell ya." James added, and Fred nodded enthusiastically. "You must be Toby Alberton. Pleasure."

Rose huffed at James faking a this-is-serious-business look and offering a handshake to Scorpius. To her surprise, Scorpius acknowledged each of her relatives with ease as if he still remembered them from his distant days at Hogwarts. "Likewise, James Potter." "Fred Weasley." "Hugo Weasley."

Hugo nodded weakly, looking unimpressed at his sister's boyfriend, who was trying to impress every of their cousins. Lily poked Hugo's rib then flashed a sweet smile at Scorpius. Her talk was as smooth as the way her brother James switched from Fred to him, Scorpius noticed. "Please don't mind Hugo. I dragged him here. I'm Lily. Pleasure to meet you."

"Sco…Toby. Nice to meet you too."

Rose held her breath for a second, nervous to be caught up lying by her smart cousins when Scorpius almost revealed his name. She finally exhaled when he tended to the youngest girl in the table, and they immediately got along.

"I'm Lucy Weasley, intern at the Department of Education. I've heard they're building a second magical school for Africa in Johannesburg?"

"Indeed. Many voters in South Africa were against the idea of sending their children to Uagadou Boarding School, so the bill to build a magic school was passed by a landslide."

Lucy Weasley nodded repeatedly out of satisfaction with the answer Scorpius gave her. Without pausing, Scorpius settled between Rose and Lucy and continued blabbering the news he just skimmed through this morning about Tutuzuma School of Magic. He figured no matter how dry it was, talking with Lucy The Smartie would be easier than being the center of attention.

"Where's Al? I'll make him cry in Parseltongue for setting me up." Rose grumbled.

"He's pestering the bartender and waiters to fetch us your favorite food." Lily giggled.

"If he was trying to make up for this blow, then he knew he was gonna be in trouble. I still don't understand how he dared tell you guys about our dinner hang-out." Rose threw an incredulous look at Lily, who was still smiling mischievously.

"Rosie Posie, you really thought it was him who messaged you to come here?" James drawled. Next to him, Fred cackled, looking pleased with the mischief.

Suddenly, it dawned on her that both she and Albus were the victims of their cousins' prank. Rose gaped and clunk her head on the table, vexed. Albus confirmed her thought by apologizing profusely when he finally showed up.

"Hey Rosie. I'm sorry but it wasn't me who owled you…" said Albus as he swept in suavely and plopped down next to Rose.

"You're forgiven, Al. We're just victims of your devious plan, aren't we, Lily?" Rose gave her cousin and best girlfriend a condemning look.

"Now that Rose is here, could you give me back the electric owl, Lil? My girlfriend is probably dumping me already for canceling the dinner date at the last minute." Al grumbled and ruffled his black mane, looking nothing but wretched. Still chuckling, Lily pulled out her brother's electric owl and shoved it to him.

"I told you to bring her to our little family gathering, Al. She'll sure be having a fabulous time." Fred laughed.

"I'd rather die under an Antonin Dolohov's curse than introduce my girlfriend to you guys. Look how miserable Rose and her boyfriend are."

Scorpius burst into a coughing fit as Albus spontaneously mentioned him. Rose hastily rubbed his back, oblivious of her cousins' eyes on them.

"Sorry, mate, didn't mean to intimidate you." Albus chuckled and nudged a glass of water in Scorpius direction.

"Oh, thanks for this." Scorpius slightly raised the glass as a gesture of appreciation when his cough subsided. He gazed back at Albus, who was staring intently at him, and smiled genuinely at his old friend. Although in their sixth year Scorpius didn't leave Hogwarts on good terms with Albus, as they were at each other's throats over trivial boyish things that even Scorpius couldn't remember, he still recalled the fond times they had together when they were younger.

"I'm Albus, by the way. Nice to meet you." Albus hovered over the long table to shake hands with Scorpius, eyes still fixed on the stranger's facial feature.

"Likewise. I'm Toby Alberton." Scorpius gave Albus a firm squeeze, his voice delighted and venomous-less. In fact, meeting Albus again was the one thing he looked forward to besides hanging out with Rose tonight.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter though it is a little short. Your reviews are always appreciated!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Emerald City Pub, an hour after Rose and Scorpius' arrival.

"Dang. This fish and chips is da bomb." Rose mumbled between her bites.

"Not as good as Grandma's though." Lucy nonchalantly threw in a comment.

"Well, if you're a frequent customer of St. Mungo Cafeteria, you'd appreciate these greasy chips." Rose held up a thin slice of crisp potato to the yellow lamp and examined carefully before unceremoniously throwing it in her mouth.

"Look at you," Fred gave Rose an incredulous look and shook his head disapprovingly, "so unlike Aunt Hermione. Hugh, how did your sister manage to get a boyfriend?"

"Dunno. I was just aware of this fact an hour ago." Hugo shrugged and downed his mug of beer in one shot.

Rose flared her nostrils. She leaned forward to steal a fish strip from Fred's plate. "Keep wondering, Freddie. I'll help you with the food before it turns cold."

"This is better than Thai's, you have to admit it Rose." Lily chuckled as she watched her cousin finishing off a huge plate.

"Well, she chose Thai because she knew I love Thai food. This meeting is supposed to be between Rose, Toby, Sophie and me." Albus rolled his eyes and protested while Lily waved dismissively at him.

"Al," Fred drawled, leaning forward to squeeze Albus's shoulder, "you can always bring your girlfriend over. Look at your brother. He's already bringing someone in to join the fun." Smirking, Fred jerked his head towards James, who was all laughing and marching their direction with a blonde clutching his arm. Scorpius smiled subtly at the scene. Something never changes, he thought as he observed James Potter and his new acquaintance.

"Al, how could I pass an opportunity to meet my future cousin-in-law?" Lily added, a sweet smile plastered on her face as she gazed at Rose and Scorpius. "So, how long have you guys been dating?"

"Uhm…a few months." Rose gulped. The interrogation had begun. "About four months." Scorpius answered at the same time.

"So, you went to a movie with the Sweden diplomat while you were dating Toby?" From the corner of the table, Lucy The Blunt raised her voice nonchalantly. The innocent girl looked genuinely shocked at the new revelation.

Scorpius bit his lips to stifle a smile as he turned to Rose. Slightly squinted his eyes, he gave her a sly look "So you indeed had a date with the Swedish bloke", to which she responded by blushing profusely. Finally, she managed to stammer, "it's because Dad and Mum kept pestering me to give him a 'tour on English cultures' and he was so interested in this indie movie…"

Lily kicked Lucy under the table. Jerking from the sudden pain, the youngest cousin realized her mistake of being too forthright. Mortified, Lucy hastily said "Oh please don't mind it, Toby. Aunt Hermione wanted Mr. Larsson to really feel welcomed so we all had a fair share of treating him in our personal times. Rose is not an exception, of course."

Rose smirked subtly at her cousin's attempt to fix thing up for her. Scorpius nodded and smiled politely at Lucy. "Rose had told me all about Mr. Larsson's visit to London. She's such a generous host, isn't she? But thanks for telling me this, Lucy."

"So, four months, how did you meet my sister then?" Hugo took his turn in the interrogation. Knowing too well that his sister was usually too busy to even take a proper shower, he smelled something fishy in this dating thing that Rose announced.

"I'm not gonna share with you the romantic details of our relationship." Clasping her hand with Scorpius's in a protective mode, Rose stuck out her tongue to annoy her little brother. Despite Hugo's striking resemblance of their mum, at times like this she felt her brother take after their dad more than ever. They both shared an overprotective trait, which, added with their Auror skills, sometimes scared her people away. Healer Williams was an example.

"Oh come on," Lily groaned, "did you guys meet in England or South Africa? It must be in England, right? There's no way Rose could visit South Africa while she's in residency…" Lily reasoned and Lucy nodded approvingly.

"Err…we…" Rose stuttered. Her heart was beating fast as it was racing against her thoughts, which were trying to come up with a story of how Scorpius and she met. She was so busy this morning that she forgot to practice making up lies with him before heading to the interrogation.

Seeing Rose's thumb was running circles nervously on the back of his hand, Scorpius put his other hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently. "We met at St. Mungo's." He said, thinking the truth was always a good start for anything.

"Really." Lucy propped her chin against her palm, eyes fixing on the lovey-dovey couple as she eagerly waited for the rest of the story.

"Uh huh." Scorpius nodded and smiled. "My colleague had an appendicitis and Rose was on the care team." Scorpius figured for the story to be convincing and romantic, it had to divert from here.

"Yeah and her red mane was what stood out and attracted you in the first place, right?" James gave Rose a teasing smile and she returned with a dead glare.

"Not really," still holding Rose's hand in his, Scorpius looked absentmindedly at the lamp, contemplating. "Her hair was well hidden in a scrub cap so the red mane wasn't noticeable. It was the way her forehead scrunching as she was engrossed in a serious discussion with her senior that caught my attention." Scorpius tried to recall their first encounter in the hospital. As she turned to meet him, with the mask on her face, her thoughtful eyes became twinkling. They radiated a feeling of warmth and reassurance, which distracted Scorpius from all the worry about his father for a second there. "I knew from that moment she is a caring person." He finally concluded after a long pause.

Still glancing up at Scorpius, Rose's heart fluttered with every word coming from his mouth. A blush crept up her cheeks as he truthfully confessed his thoughts about her. This wasn't all fake, Rose thought. They really developed feelings for one another during his short stay in the hospital, and no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, the feeling resurfaced, at this very moment, stronger than ever.

"Anyway, that's my first impression of Rose." Scorpius flashed a grin at everyone before landing his gaze on Rose. Smiling coyly at him, she felt intimate even in the middle of the crowd.

"To Rose and Toby!" Fred yelled and everyone raised their mugs, including the blonde acquaintance of James Potter. Scorpius reluctantly emptied his ginger beer. He wasn't really into downing this sweetened liquid gulp after gulp, but he had no other choice.

"Another round please! This time Scotch Firewhiskey!" Lily screamed at a waiter passing by.

"Oh except one ginger beer for me, please." Scorpius waved his hand and smiled.

"And one ginger beer for this lady as well, please." Hugo unceremoniously pointed at Lucy.

"I can take Firewhiskey! I'm twenty-one!" Lucy protested.

"Yeah twenty-one, you're not strong enough to take 40% alcohol, Lucy." Rose stifled a smile to see her brother going all Percy Weasley mode at their cousin. No wonder Uncle Percy let his daughters hang out with this group of wild kids when Hugo or Teddy was around, she thought.

"Mate, seriously you drink ginger beer?" Albus raised his eyebrows at Scorpius.

"Yeah, I have alcohol intolerance. Bad Alberton gene, I tell ya." Scorpius lied flatly and Rose chuckled. He was really getting along with the game.

"So you don't sorely miss the pubs when you're overseas." Albus said, fingers tapping on the wooden table.

"Not really. I do miss the food, however. Shepherd's Pie for example. I've heard Rose's grandmother makes excellent Shepherd's Pies." Scorpius spoke the truth from his days in Dumstrang Institute. He did miss dinners in the Great Hall at Hogwarts where the pies were already amazing but Albus wouldn't stop bragging about how his grandma Molly's pies outweighed those from the house elves.

Albus smiled while Rose blinked her eyes. She was caught off guard that Scorpius knew her extended family a little too well. "It makes sense though, Al and Scorpius were friends when they were younger," Rose reasoned to herself.

"Wow, it's really crowded in here tonight. I doubt that the waiter would bring us anything to drink if we don't pester them." Albus looked at his watch and mumbled. "I'll check on our order."

"I'll go with you." Scorpius said and followed Albus to the bar.

"So," Lily smiled as she scooted to Al's seat next to Rose, "four months. How far are you guys in the relationship?" Lily winked at her cousin.

"What do you mean?" Rose blushed again.

"She means the s-e-x, of course." Picking up the grey jacket that Scorpius left on the bench, Lucy threw it on Rose's lap as she moved to his seat beside Rose.

"We're not there yet," Rose mumbled, her fingers gently caressing the fabric of the jacket. The light smell of cologne slowly made its way to her nose, and she couldn't help but inhale the scent.

"He seems truly care about you, Rose." Lily murmured. "Might as well move on from the incident and take this relationship seriously."

"Lily!" Rose squealed.

"I mean it, Rose. We all care about you and want you to find your true love. Right, Lucy?" Lily talked over Rose, and Lucy nodded approvingly.

"Thanks, Lil," Rose sighed, "but we're still in the phase of getting to know each other."

"Don't be too long or he might be gone before you know it. You will regret those perfectly-formed-arses!" Lily chuckled and nodded her chin toward Scorpius, who was leaning against the bar counter, one long leg crossed another, and said perfectly-form-arses pointing at them.

"Merlin, why do you have to ruin my innocence." Rose groaned and miserably ran her fingers through the red hair.

"Because you're twenty-five. And you're a doctor, not a nun. You should have a life outside St. Mungo." Lily squealed and Lucy muffled a laughter.

"You can't hide yourself inside the walls of the hospital forever, Rose." Lucy said.

"Why does Rose hide herself inside the walls of the hospital?" Rose shivered at the familiar voice. Scorpius had returned with a tray of alcohols in his arm.

"Because I'm too lazy to deal with ignorants on the streets." Panic stricken, Rose faked an arrogant tone. "What's that?" Changing the subject, she pointed at another tray of food that Albus brought in.

"Poutine. Canadian food." Albus answered as Lily helped him passed the first plate on to James, Fred and Hugo, who were sitting at the far end of the table.

"Hmm! Delicious!" Rose exclaimed as she pulled out a string of French fries under the gooey cheese curds and popped in her mouth.

"Isn't it?" Scorpius smiled at her; his thumb gently swiped the gravy smear on her lips.

"Yes. This stuff makes me happy." Rose flashed a sheepish grin at Scorpius then downed the newly-brought-in shot of Firewhiskey. "Thanks, cousin for the good food." Leaning toward Albus, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. The alcohol started to kick in inside her body.

"Not me. Your boyfriend suggested we ordered it." Albus smiled, pointing back at Scorpius.

"Oh, please. We both like poutine, Albus." Scorpius waved his hand dismissively.

"Thanks, Toby. I love this way more than fish and chip." Rose drawled, eyes darting from Scorpius rolling his sleeves to his sweat-glistened face.

"Glad you like it, Rose." Scorpius chuckled. "Can't believe I'm sweating in this bleeding winter." He mumbled as he loosened his tie. Rose's eyes still fixed on Scorpius's feature until Lily kicked her under the table.

"Perhaps you're used to the hot and damp weather in Johannesburg that you easily sweat." Lucy noted nonchalantly.

"Probably. Cheers." Scorpius grinned at Lucy and clinked his mug with hers.

"Ummm…so delicious, Toby and Al." James raised his poutine fries in appreciation before throwing a bunch in his mouth. "This reminds me of the chilly days practicing Quidditch in Quebec stadium." He mumbled to his girl of the night.

"Yeah. I had a friend whose mother was Canadian. She occasionally sent food to her son and her poutine was on point." Scorpius said.

"Really," Albus's eyes widened. "Are you sure you didn't go to Hogwarts with me, mate, 'cause I also had a friend whose mother was Canadian. We often shared the poutine well-kept in his trunk that his mother sent in with some booze at midnight." The conversation suddenly brought Albus down the memory lane. He recalled the nights after Quidditch practices when the kitchen was closed, Scorpius, Peter and he usually snatched food from their friend Gordon's trunk. The four put up some shield charms in their room then drank and ate the nights away.

"Pretty positive we're not talking about the same friend." Scorpius smiled wryly to mask the odd sensation in his stomach. The years he spent pranking around the school with Albus suddenly became so lively in his mind.

"Oh hey! Look who's there!" Lucy interrupted their conversation and pointed at a feminine figure from afar. Lily turned back and yelled in excitement. "It's Ann Longbottom, Hugh!" She poked Hugo's ribs.

"So what?" Hugo turned crimson red while fixing his eyes on the table.

"So bring her over here, Hugo. This is your chance to buy her a drink." Rose said.

Hugo shook his head resolutely. Agitated, Rose stood up and pulled Lily with her. "Seriously, you're just like dad," she groaned. "Yeah we are not around to be your matchmakers forever." Lily added before hastily following Rose to where Ann Longbottom was standing.

The Weasley-Potter cousins escorted a pleasant girl with long brown hair to the table. "Hello everyone." Scorpius nodded curtly at the stranger and she nodded back at him. Before he knew it, Rose unceremoniously pushed Ann down the seat next to Hugo and the girl made a small squeal.

"Are you alright?" Hugo immediately tended to her with concern eyes. He miserably slumped his body so that Ann could fit in the tight space.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Hugh." Ann Longbottom smiled at him.

"Figured." Rose muttered in her breath and shared a playful glance with Scorpius as she settled next to him. Scorpius chuckled and mumbled. "You know what, Rose, you complain that your extended family won't stop playing matchmakers, but you're one of them."

Taking one swig of Firewhiskey, Rose squatted her arm. "Nah, I'm not like them. It's just that Hugo is as thick as my father when it comes to relationship. I have to take matters into my own hands."

"If you say so." Scorpius shrugged, still with an amused smile.

"What?" Rose squealed. "I don't always have the goals to matchmake everyone in my family with someone else. Like I said, it's just…Hugo."

"You're headstrong and opinionated. That's what makes you so special to me." Face inches from Rose's, Scorpius gazed at her with both tenderness and affection.

"Aww, thanks." A wee bit tipsy, Rose beamed at him and leaned closer to him, her fingers tracing the scar on his face.

"You're drunk." Scorpius said, matter-of-factly.

"You underestimate me," said Rose, then she yelled after a waiter who passed by their table. "One more round of Firewhiskey, please!"

"Bring them in!" yelled Fred, in accord with Rose.

"We aren't heading home anytime soon, aren't we?" Scorpius chuckled and mumbled in her ears. He loved the way her head lean toward his shoulder naturally.

"No, we aren't, Mr. Alberton." Rose answered with a small smile.

* * *

Half an hour before midnight and the conversations were heated more than ever.

"…and so I said 'Bugger off, mate. If you touch that file again we'll make sure you no longer see the sunlight.'" Scorpius rambled, hands jabbing in the air, mimicking the encounter between the guy he was referring to and him. Rose, being too comfortable with Scorpius's presence next to her at this point, wrapped her arm around his shoulder as she listened to him palavering passionately.

"Serves him right. Thomason has been an insufferable git since Hogwarts days." Albus took a swig of his Whiskey then nodded repeatedly out of satisfaction.

"Yeah, he was a prat to girls as well. Too bad, resorting to violence is the only way to treat him since he was never punished by the teachers." Lily purred her lips as she occasionally chewed some fries from their third order.

"They doted on him." Hugo added, contemplating.

"So do the bosses." Scorpius sighed.

"Well I'm glad you and your colleagues scared him off." Albus patted Scorpius's back enthusiastically. "Here, a toast to Toby Alberton!" Albus raised his tumbler and everyone followed suit.

Scorpius smiled and cheerfully clinked his mug with the rest of Rose's family. He truly had a pleasant time being with the Weasley-Potter clan. It had been a long time but he still vaguely remembered the joyful atmosphere at the family gatherings which Albus let him tag along. Sometimes, at moments like this, Scorpius wondered how Albus and he managed to sever their friendship in their sixth year, for he couldn't recall any fight but only their good times together as best mates. "Fond memories stay, I suppose." Scorpius muttered in his breath as he drained his beer.

Lucy suddenly tumbled down Scorpius's shoulder. Slightly perplexed, he held her steady and chuckled. "I think she fell asleep."

"She did." Fred said and yawned. "I'm gonna apparate her to the Burrow. We have a party going on there as well."

"He feels so lonely sitting with the couples that he resorts to joining the adults." Lily remarked.

Having Lucy taken away from his arms, Scorpius leaned forward to reach for the fries and Rose involuntarily inhaled his warm scent once more. Since the moment of her conversation with Lily and Lucy about Scorpius, her memory was branded with the images of his perfectly-formed-arses, his long fingers rolling the sleeves then loosening the tie, and of his silvery voice talking about 'hot' and 'damp'. Shaking her head hard, Rose decided to take a walk, otherwise she might lose herself and kiss him right in front of her cousins.

"You alright, Rose?" Scorpius whispered, eyebrows slightly scrunched up in concern.

"Yeah. I'm going to the loo.." She mumbled.

He simply nodded and watched as she walked away.

"You really have the hots for her." Albus chuckled, bringing Scorpius back to the conversation.

"Oh, that…" He smiled sheepishly and glanced at his beer.

"Just…while you're at it, please treat Rose kindly. She had a rough past." Albus lowered his voice.

Scorpius almost choked in his drink. Glancing at his mate with furrowed eyebrows, he said "You couldn't just say that without giving me the details."

Albus sighed. "I don't know how deep your relationship is, plus it's not really my position to tell you anything. But, I wanted to say that because I'm rooting for you."

"Thanks, I suppose?" Scorpius smiled in his breath.

"You're welcome, mate." Albus mumbled then clinked his tumbler with Scorpius's mug.

"Come on, this bromance is getting people attention." Scorpius tipped his head and chuckled at Albus's softened mood.

"Nah…it's just because…you remind me so much of a friend." Albus said, contemplating.

Scorpius drained the rest of his mug swifly to avoid looking at Albus. His stomach had been churning the moment he was told about Rose, and the feeling only got worse as his friend once again reminded him of their old days. For a split second, he wanted to just spit out his real identity and rebuild their friendship. "We were best mates, after all. We would always get along," he thought. Then he remembered the purpose of this disguise was to help Rose and sighed.

"Excuse me. I need to use the loo." Scorpius hastily took his scarf and coat without bothering the lame excuse he made. Glancing at the entrance, he wormed his way through the crowd until he exited the green door. Leaning on the brick wall, Scorpius closed his eyes, letting himself engulfed in the biting cold. He wasn't sure anymore that going to this party with Rose as her boyfriend is a good idea. Before the rounds, he was looking forward to hanging out with her and meeting his old friend. Now he only felt suffocated for some unclear reasons. "Rose had a rough past." "You remind me so much of a friend." The words kept haunting him.

"Hey, I found you. Brrzzzz. It's so cold out here."

The distant sound of the jingling bells and a familiar voice brought Scorpius back to reality. "Rose. Why are you outside?"

"Brrzzzz. Don't you want to countdown with us?" She asked, body slightly shivered.

"I wanted to get some fresh air. I'll probably skip the countdown. But you're freezing." He took of his scarf then wrap it around Rose's neck.

"Then I'll be here with you. It feels good out here." Rose muttered and started jumping up and down.

"You're drunk. You're gonna catch a cold. Just go inside. I'll be here just for a minute." Scorpius glanced at Rose warily.

"Then I'll wait for you." Rose beamed at him then leaned closer to Scorpius. Her body was vigorously shaking.

As if annoyed, Scorpius scrunched his eyebrows and mumbled "Come here," then opened his thick long coat and pulled Rose in. "You're very stubborn, you know?"

"I know." Rose smiled and leaned on Scorpius's chest.

Holding Rose tighter in his coat, Scorpius slightly placed his chin on her head and inhaled the delicate scent radiating from her. Gently stroking her hair, he looked absentmindedly at the street, lost in thought.

"Thanks for today, Scorpius." Rose muttered in his neck.

"Oh, don't bother. I had a great time myself." He smiled softly.

"It's not just about disguising as my boyfriend. You were very nice with everyone in my family."

"I like them a lot." He said.

"I really had an amazing night. It's gonna stay with me forever. Nothing is the same for me tomorrow." Suddenly, Rose wrapped her arms around him.

"No, I can't pretend this never happened, either. Nothing is the same for me tomorrow as well." Scorpius kissed Rose's hair, eyes still longing at the empty darkness.

They stood silent for a moment in each other's embrace.

"About the thing you said…" Scorpius said, his voice thick.

"What about them?" Rose asked, pulling her face away his chest so that she could see him clearly.

"I…." he cleared his throat. "I think I can give up everything just to be with you, Rose. In fact, I don't care if I'll never sleep with you. Just having you here is more than enough for me."

 _Nine. Eight_. They hear the echo from the crowd inside.

"Scorpius. Don't you sacrifice for me." Rose said, her eyes saddened.

 _Seven. Six._

"Unless you don't love me, there's nothing matters more than…"

 _Five. Four._

"I love you. I love you so much." Rose cut him off, her voice hoarsely.

 _Three. Two._

"I love you, too, Rose. More than anything in this world. This is crazy, but I think I even love you before I met you." Scorpius said with a soft smile.

 _One._

"Kiss me, Scorpius."

 _Happy New Year!_

And he kissed her.

Standing on her toes, Rose wrapped her arms around Scorpius's neck and responded to his kiss fervently. When she opened her eyes again, the make up on his face had disappeared. "No one is more handsome than my Scorpius," she beamed at the familiar pale face with chiseled chin and silvery blond hair.

"Look at you being all flirty." He smiled and gave her another peck on the lips.

"Oi! Toby! Rose! You guys missed the countdown!" Hugo and Lily brought the couple back to reality.

"Hey! Sorry!" Rose beamed at them.

"But that's…Malfoy." Lily gaped. She stepped back and stood next to her cousin.

"Scorpius Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Hugo grumbled.

"Relax, guys." Rose smiled and pulled Scorpius toward the two. "It's a long story…but Toby is actually Scorpius. My boyfriend is Scorpius. Let's go inside and I'll tell you the whole story."

"No offense, Malfoy." Hugo hold up her hands. "But Rose, you can't be with him." He said firmly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hugh. I am a free person and I will be with whomever I want to." Rose folded her arms, alerted.

"Go with me, Rose." Lily pulled Rose's hand.

"Let me go." Rose said and held Scorpius's hand tight.

"Hey I'm sorry for the disguise. We didn't mean to lie to you guys but please don't be agitated. What's wrong with us being a couple?" Scorpius raised his other hand defensively and asked.

"Rose, you can't be with him, I'm serious. Mum and dad will be mad to know about this." Hugo said firmly.

"Are we back to the blood status again?" Rose chuckled darkly. "Mum and Dad are not some old, unwise and prejudiced adults."

"Rose, please listen to me. I'm telling you this out of care for you."

"Guys, please tell me what's going on, 'cause I don't believe you judge me for my last name." Scorpius said.

"Lily! Stop this stupid talk that you care about me! You keep saying you want me to be happy and now you want to break my true love?" Rose shrieked, outraged.

"Rose, let's go home first and talk. Mum and Dad are at the Burrow." Hugo demanded.

"Hugo, you're out of line! I'm not going anywhere without Scorpius. You all are drunk! And insane!" Rose wrapped her arms around Scorpius's and pulled him back.

"Rose, trust me and please go home." Lily started to cry.

Perplexed by Lily's reaction, Scorpius's turned to Rose and said softly. "Rose, maybe it's best that I leave you guys for a private talk."

"Come home with me. I'll tell my parents we are dating. These people need to stop this ridiculous talk." Rose pleaded.

Sensing Rose was shaking, Scorpius reluctantly nodded. Rose held on Scorpius's hand tightly and in a blink of an eye, they apparated to the Burrow.

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A/N: A very long chapter for you guys! Please enjoy and always, I appreciate your reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

With a gentle "Poof", Scorpius and Rose landed on the soft grass of the Burrow backyard. Staggering, Rose fell forward when Scorpius's arms steadied her.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Eyebrows furrowed, he glanced at her anxiously, knowing well she was more than tipsy.

"Yeah, never better." Rose flashed an invincible smile at Scorpius and hastily pulled him toward the entrance. "I'm gonna make Hugo and Lily apologize for their behavior," she said resolutely.

"Rose," Scorpius stood his ground and pulled her back. Both hands placed on Rose's shoulders as she swiveled, he replied, his voice calm and toneless, "their reaction is actually anticipated. You are dating _me."_

Rose swiped her forehead exasperatedly as if she was scorching in the cold weather. "Scorpius, you can't be like this when we are about to meet my huge family. I am fighting for your honor, I need you to defend yourself, please." Squeezing Scorpius's hands, she glanced up at him, half demanding, half pleading.

"Alright, alright." Scorpius nodded and pulled Rose into his embrace. Stroking her hair absentmindedly, he let her head rest on his chest until he could sense her breaths slowered. "Let's go in," he finally mumbled.

Rose knocked on the door and it was swiftly opened in a blink of an eye. The chaotic sound of cutlery clattering, incessant chatting and distant laughters invaded the peaceful atmosphere outside the Burrow. Standing at the entrance with a tray full of food in her arms, Ginny Weasley squinted her eyes, attempted to recognize the person in the dark. "Rose! What a pleasant surprise!" She yelled in excitement as she realized the unexpected guest.

"Mrs. Potter," Scorpius greeted curtly. Ginny nodded in return and scrunched her eyebrows hard, trying to figure out the other stranger that Rose was holding hand firmly.

"Auntie, this is Scorpius Malfoy, my boyfriend." Rose said, impatient. "Are my parents still here?"

Blinking her eyes, Ginny stood frozen for a good second, then with a flick of her wand sent the tray of food towards the dining room direction. She hastily walked over where Rose was standing and reached for her niece's hand. "Rose, how did you…"

Impatiently, Rose cut Ginny off. "Aunt Ginny, I just want to see my parents, please."

"Mrs. Potter, could we at least come inside the house? Rose has been in the cold for a while." Scorpius wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulder and asked.

Hesitantly, Ginny stepped aside, leaving the way to Rose and Scorpius. "Mum! Dad!" Rose called out as she waited at the entrance. A few people yelled in excitement when they saw her "Rosie! Happy new year!" but the thrill died down as soon as everyone recognized Scorpius next to her.

"Rose! What's going on?" Hermione appeared from the kitchen with utensils in her hands. Looking at Scorpius and Rose side by side, she halted her baking task and hurriedly marched toward her daughter. "Mum, this is Scorpius Malfoy, my boyfriend. I thought it'd be nice that I introduce him to you and Dad."

"How do you do, Mrs. Weasley." Scorpius managed to mumble a greeting. His heart was making loud thumps with the stares coming from Rose's family members.

Hermione nodded slightly then turned to her daughter, her facial expression as stern as if she was in a tough negotiation with her colleagues. "Rose, how did you two meet?"

Rose huffed in disbelief. "Mum, I didn't expect this reaction from you of all people. You could ask least invite us to sit down and have some tea in the living room."

Sending Rose an alarming glance, Hermione turned to Scorpius and asked. "Could you tell me how you met, Mr. Malfoy?" He was about to speak up when Rose interjected abruptly. "Why does it matter how we met?"

Hand squeezing Rose's, Scorpius said "We met at St. Mungo's, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can't trust his words, Mum. Malfoy transfigured into someone else to deceive us at the pub. He might as well make up a whole story of their relationship." Having apparated to the Burrow, Hugo strode briskly toward the crowd with Lily followed suit, looking forlorn.

"Hugo, we're done talking to you. We already explained to you what happened and Scorpius has been the person I know and love since the beginning." Rose retorted fervently. Scorpius could feel the sweats forming in her palm.

Tended to her daughter, Hermione sighed, "Rose, please, I'd like you to stop meeting him from now on."

"For Merlin's sake, Mum, I am twenty-five and I date whoever I want! I just thought it'd be nice to let you know that Scorpius Malfoy is my boyfriend." Rose screeched, her breaths quickened as frustration took over her body.

"Please, don't yell at your Mum, Rose." Ginny touched Rose's arm, trying to ease the tension.

"Mr. Malfoy, I am sorry but I wish you leave before my husband shows up. We are against the idea of you dating my daughter." Hermione said calmly but firmly while opened the door wide, letting the biting cold fill in the house.

"Mum! How could you behave like this? Give me a reason, because I don't understand!" Rose squealed; tears started to cascade down her cheeks.

Scorpius turned to face Rose's mother, his voice shaky but he managed to remain calm. "Mrs. Weasley, I love Rose truly, dearly and I have never ever had the attention of hurting her. Please look past my last name and let us be together."

"What's with the noise, Hermione?" To Hermione's dread, Ron and Harry appeared in the kitchen with packs of Firewhiskey bottles in their arms. The Weasley-Potter members turned to the duo with concerning looks.

"Dad, I come here to let you know that I'm dating Scorpius Malfoy, and as the closest family member of mine, I wish you accept us as a couple." Wiping her tears, Rose said, her voice clear and full of determination.

Ron cringed at his daughter's words. Closing his eyes slowly, he exhaled, "First of all, Rose and Malfoy, take your hand off one another's," to which the young couple responded by clutching one another's hand tighter. Unsettled at the sight, Ron growled and marched toward Scorpius but Harry quickly cast a body-binding curse his way, causing him to stagger onto Hermione and Lily' arms.

A lump formed in Scorpius's throat. "Mr. Weasley," Scorpius cleared his voice and uttered, "I know that my father and you have a long history of rivalry, but I truly love Rose and I swear I will do my best to protect her. Please accept our relationship and don't hurt her."

"Hah," Ron laughed darkly, "don't you dare lecture me about hurting my daughter. I will never allow Rose to be with you so bugger off and never show up again!"

"Dad!" Shrieked Rose. "How could you say that to him? Don't you want me to be loved and live happily like you always claim?"

"Listen carefully, Rose, as long as I'm alive, I will never allow this Malfoy to be with you." Ron muttered hotly, his face all flushed up in anger.

"Oh will you stop this ridiculous and ignorant hatred that you have since you were eleven! I am only here to announce our relationship out of respect for you but I don't give a damn whether you approve us or not!" Arms flailing in the air, Rose exasperated. She was already rolled on with her tirade.

"Rose! Utter one more harsh word and I'll _Langlock_ you!" Hermione jabbed her finger in her daughter's direction, warning.

"Mum! How could you side with Dad when he is full of prejudice and hatred like this?" Rose quivered but Scorpius quickly caught her. "Mum, you fought a war so that we could eliminate pure-blood supremacy and restore equality. Why can't you look past his last name and see him for who he really is?"

Glancing at Rose somberly, Hermione stood frozen, unable to form a coherent reply. Ginny turned to Scorpius and smiled weakly, trying to ease the tension. "Mr. Malfoy, it's rather late. Why don't you go home? We'll discuss about this with you some other times."

"No way!" Rose protested defiantly, pulling Scorpius away her aunt. "Don't leave, Scorpius. Once you go they will find all means, even resort to dark magic to separate us forever."

Scorpius glanced at Rose's tear-glistened face, unsettled. Heart twinged in pain with Rose's repeated attempts to fight for them, he pulled her into his arm and allowed her a good cry, disregarding the dangerous glares sending his way. "Shush, I'm not leaving you, I promise."

Albus sighed out loud as he gave a pity look at his old friend hugging his cousin. Catching the sight of Albus, Scorpius mumbled apologetically. "Al, I'm sorry for earlier. It's a long story and we'll tell you later but I swear we never meant to deceive you anything."

"Uncle Harry," Rose wiped her tears, drew in a deep breath and turned to her last resort, "you don't hate the Malfoys. You fought a war so that people like me can freely love someone without concern of blood status. Scorpius is your son's friend. He has done nothing wrong to me. Please persuade my parents for me. I've been a good girl all my life and everyone has been trying hard to help me find love and now I'm in love. I'm deeply in love. You should root for me." Rose almost begged.

Harry sighed. He glanced at Scorpius warily then mumbled, "Rose, I don't really have a say in this. All I could say is please understand that your parents are doing what they believe is best for you, as they have always been."

"Harry, cast the counter-spell on me. You know that I'm lucid more than ever and I'm not doing all of this out of irrationality." Ron said and broke free in a second after Harry muttered a few words.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Scorpius said, "If you disapprove of me this much, please at least let me know the reason. Please let me know what I need to improve in order to deserve Rose. I'm gonna do anything to show you that I'm serious with her and that our love is real."

"Well," Ron huffed darkly, "if you truly love her, let go of her hand and leave her."

Rose chuckled bitterly. "Dad, this is ridiculous. He asks you why you dislike him, so that he could prove himself, and all you do is use his own words to chase him away. Go on, tell me, 'cause I'm also curious why you hold a grudge toward him this much."

Ron stood shaken with anger and Hermione stepped in. "Rose, don't you question your parents' judgement."

"See? You two don't even have a logical explanation. Why can't you tell us, Dad? Is it because you're simply ignorant and full of prejudice?"

Ron Weasley scrunched his face in pain. Hugo walked toward his sister and snorted. "Sister, you're out of line!"

"Well, Hugo, I'll show you that not everyone carries a grudge of when they were eleven." Still holding Scorpius's hand, she turned to her grandma. "Grandma, you always say love is the most important thing in the world. You're with us, right?"

Grandma Molly mumbled, "Rose, for once I plead you to listen to your parents."

"Very well then," Rose huffed and drew in another deep breath, her head started to throb, "what about you Grandpa, don't you see Scorpius is nothing like his father and grandfather?"

"Rose," Grandpa Arthur said firmly, "don't ask us to take sides, this will be ugly."

"I take it as a no. Anyone then? My cousins? You all have someone you love; will you allow your family to meddle with your personal life just because of some old prejudice?"

"Rose, please don't be like this. We only care about you." Lily said miserably.

"Oh please, I told you to stop being a fake and uttering those craps." Rose laughed bitterly, her own voice ringing in her ears. The snow and wind had finally taken a toll on her body.

"Al," Scorpius turned to Albus, "You know me. We were best mates. You got along with me despite my last name. I'm gonna make an Unbreakable Vow with you that I love Rose and will never hurt her. Please trust me. Please root for me like you said you would."

Albus stood still; all eyes were focused on him. Finally, he glanced up at Scorpius and Rose and sighed, "Rose, I'm with your parents in this situation. Scorpius, as an old friend, I respectfully ask you to leave her."

Rose tipped her head off and laughed, her voice wild and dark, echoing the entire living room. "I don't even know why I went all the way to persuade you, when you don't even give a damn about my happiness. All you Weasleys are hypocrites."

Ron stood up, anger flushing his whole body. "Rose Weasley, take your words back right now."

"No, dad, you didn't even give Scorpius the benefit of the doubt. You couldn't even give a proper explanation as to why you have a profound hatred towards the Malfoys. You're ridiculous. I am only here to announce my relationship with Scorpius out of respect for you two. I don't need your approval." Rose glared at her father, her voice getting more panicked as she was suffocated by her own anxiety. Holding Scorpius's hand, she closed her eyes and tried to apparate.

"Rose, the house was set up with anti apparition. Let Malfoy go and we'll have a talk, daughter." Hermione cut in.

"Mum! Dad! I hate you with all my heart!" Outraged to the point of breaking, Rose screamed and pulled out her wand then pointed directly at Hermione. "Rose, you can't!" Instinctively, Scorpius yelled and jumped in front of Rose in a split second to shield the possible spell aimed at her parents, just in time to be knocked off-balance as Ron Weasley cast Protego their direction. Staggered, he toppled forward.The tip of Rose's wand was poking through Scorpius's layers of clothes and leaving a burning sensation on his chest.

The rest of the family stood still, eyes widened and mouths dropped; no one dared to move or make a single change to the fiasco that happened in front their very eyes. Rose was threatening her own mother and Scorpius was now the victim of both spells.

"How could you..." Ron mumbled and brusquely threw his wand away, his face scrunched up as the emotional pain shot through his body. Harry and Lily immediately helped him settle in a nearby chair.

"I…I didn't cast any spell…I was just protecting myself…" Wand still poking at Scorpius, Rose stood frozen as if she was petrified, chocking in her own sob.

"I know, Rose," Scorpius muttered. Eyes still gazing at Rose, Scorpius forced a calm look despite the aching burn and slowly grabbed hold of her wand. The wooden stick radiated heat in his cold palm. "Just relax. I've got you."

"Scorpius, you need to trust me, I didn't cast any spell." Rose mumbled hoarsely.

"I trust you." He nodded and cautiously pulled Rose's wand out of his chest and pried it off her fingers.

Slowly releasing the wooden stick, Rose hyperventilated. Scorpius observed her breathing becoming more shallow and ragged, and before he could register, she fell forward, her face wincing hard as if a tide of pain washed over her body. Quickly, he caught her tiny frame and tugged her in the flaps of the woolen coat, his face crumbled as he felt her cold skin. "She's sick," Scorpius announced hastily, "we will be back when she gets better." Glancing at the closed entrance door and knowing too well it was locked with charm and couldn't be opened with a simple Alohomora, "I'm sorry for this," he muttered reluctantly and broke the door with a flick of his wand, and before anyone could react to the situation, dashed into the snowy night with Rose in his arms.

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So, it's a short chapter, but I promise next chapter will be much longer and better. Please review! It makes my day!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: So, chapter 14 is out! I actually started this chapter one year ago but dental school consumed the hell out of my energy. I wrote it piece by piece hence it took me a while to complete. This chapter also contains some explicit 18+ images, so read with caution, please. I hope you enjoy and please leave a review at the end!

P.S: I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

Rose was having dreams about the night she and Scorpius hand in hand, gigling and joking with the rest of her family. She smiled, feeling deliriously happy when their fingers intertwined, and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead as she nuzzled his neck.

An odd sensation, that had no right to penetrate her bliss, was forcing its way into her dreams. Slowly, her senses were overwhelmed by a throbbing ache. Rose winced and grumbled, her eyes cracked open. A blurry figure came to her vision.

"Rose, are you alright? Do you feel better?"

But she couldn't figure where she was or who was talking to her. The voice echoed unnervingly through her head. Her whole body was slowly burnt by an immense heat radiating from within, despite an unfamiliar dampness on her forehead and her neck.

"Argh.." Rose groaned and hastily pulled down her collar, the other hand roaming the flushed skin and scratching it vigorously. It was that time of the day again. She bolted upright suddenly and pushed back the cover; a few moist pieces of cloth fell off her forehead and neck. Briskly turning around to assess the situation, Rose faced a panic stricken Scorpius.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?" He muttered.

"Show me the loo. Now." Rose growled at him.

Scorpius pointed at the closed door afar and extended a hand to help her up, yet Rose pushed his arm aside and staggered her way to the bathroom. She hastily kicked the door close and jump into the bath tub. Turning on the shower, she craned her neck up as a stream of water pour down on her. Rose exhaled as her body drenched in the coldness, the stinging pain slowly reduced to a throbbing pain before it was completely soothed away.

Feeling a little better, Rose turned off the faucet and brushed the shower curtain aside. An insistent knock on the door became louder, and Rose could hear a mumbling voice.

"Rose, are you alright in there?"

Damn, where was she? In the loo of a rooftop penthouse of a high- end hotel?

Rose knew she couldn't be in her house, judging by the shiny marble counter and expensive granite walls.

Rose approached the door and cracked it slightly open. Scorpius shifted his weight off the frame to straighten his posture; his eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and horror when he stared at Rose tugging her hand in front of her chest, her body and clothing completely soaked in water.

"I need a tower and something to wear, Scorpius." Rose mumbled.

"Right away." He nodded and quickly fetched her a gray tower and, as Rose realized rather horridly a few seconds later, a white shirt and worn out pajamas bottom.

Rose figured she was not in a hotel, but rather Scorpius's flat.

"Um, Rose, these are the smallest clothes I could find in the house. If it's too tight for you I can get something else." Rose heard him stammering through the wooden door.

"It's alright." Rose said and sighed. The smallest shirt that he could offer was loose enough to cover her up to the knees. She stressed the waistband of the bottom and she simply didn't bother to put it on, because even if she tied the strings tightly, it would still helplessly fall from her lower body and may as well trip her.

Rose squeezed the last drops of water of her own clothing, then hastily threw it over a random bar to air dry. Finally, she gently opened the door, giving it the deserved treatment, unlike minutes earlier when the pain got the better of her. Facing her was a tired and somber Scorpius. In the dim light, Rose could see the worries etched on his features.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked, fingers instinctively reached for his cheeks.

"Other than the fact that my girlfriend got me up in the wee hours, I'm okay." Scorpius chuckled softly as he removed Rose's hand on his face and wrapped them in his own. Even when she was sick, she was still caring about him, he mentally noted.

"I'm sorry to wake you up so early." Rose glanced around the semi darkness and murmured. "It's only five in the morning. Go back to sleep."

Scorpius's eyebrows slightly scrunched up. He wasn't sure how she managed to know the time after barely waking up.

"I've slept enough," He flatly lied, "but you seem freezing. Merlin's beard, why would you take a cold shower at five in the morning when you're sick, Rose?" With a gentle scolding, he swiftly took off his flannel gown and wrapped it around her. "Were you still hurt somewhere? Come here, let me see." Still with a serious look, Scorpius pulled Rose closer and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. They stool still for a moment, letting the encounter of the skin burning their sensation.

"Good, the fever is subsided. I was so worried because you had a delirium. Come here, let me dry your hair."

Scorpius pulled Rose to a chair and she obediently followed him. He grabbed another towel and walked behind her, his hands gently ran the cotton through Rose's red mane, lock by lock.

Rose sat in silence for a while, letting the sound of his moves dominate the silence of the night.

"I don't remember much what happened after, you know, the incident..." Rose trailed off.

"You got a severe headache when we apparated here, so I gave you some pain relief potion. You drifted off eventually but your temperature was high rocket despite my cooling charms, so I resorted to the muggle method and put some damp clothes on your body."

Rose startled. She craned her neck to glance at him with concerned eyes. "Did you…?"

"No, I didn't take off your clothes. I promised I would not be getting intimate with you, didn't I?" Scorpius sighed. "That's why I could only put the damp cloths on your head and your neck. And they didn't seem to help, because you had a delirium."

Rose's chest twinge a sharp pain every time his fingers ran through her hair. Apparently, at this very moment, they were paying a great price to be together. Eyes staring absentmindedly at the empty space in front of her, she reached for him from behind and gently nudged her cheek to the back of his hand. Her heart beat slower at the encounter of their skin.

"I wasn't having a delirium." She muttered, matter-of-factly. She was a healer, after all.

"I thought the fever subsided, so I drifted off on the chair, but you started moaning and grimacing a few hours later. I was about to wake you up and bring you to the hospital when you jerked up and ran to the loo. You seem better now but we need to go check you up the first thing in the morning, Rose." Still with his monotonous tone, Scorpius grabbed his black, nacreous comb and gently ran through Rose's curls.

Rose removed his hand from her hair and turned around to gaze at him. "Why do you care about me so much, Scorpius?" A foolish question, she noted but couldn't help asking.

"Merlin, Rose, how could you ask such ridiculous question? How can I not care about you when you were having fever but you wouldn't let me cool you off, then you scratched yourself till bloodshed and impulsively ran into the cold shower at five in the morning? During this wintertime? Do you want to die? You're driving me crazy here can't you see?" Scorpius groaned and paced around the room. Now that he was sure she was fine again, the weariness got the better of him. His blood was boiling in their respective green veins.

"You shouldn't care about me. I don't deserve this, Scorpius, just as you don't deserve the hatred from my family. You were made for better things." Tears started to roll down Rose's face as insecurity took over her.

Startled by Rose's shaky voice, Scorpius crouched down to her level. He cupped her face; his dark gray eyes piercing her blue ones. "Shush, don't say that, Rosie. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. My parents must have done a lot of good deeds for the last thirty years that Merlin let me meet you."

Rose's sniffs turned louder so he pulled her in a tight embrace, her head settled in the crook of his neck. He gently rubbed her back to calm her down, the dampness on his shoulder causing a pang in his chest.

Rose let herself find solace in Scorpius's embrace. Being a healer and most of all, a Weasley, she had been guarding herself up for too long. She had learnt to live with the rumors, the expectations since she was little; she had learnt to deal with the stressful nature of her job. She worked so hard to push aside her personal problems, to live up her parents' legacy and be appreciative about her life in general. She had always put her family and patients' her priority, and now that the first time she fell in love with someone, the first time she could focus on her own happiness, her family was fiercely against it.

"I still don't get how Al could casually step to my parents' side. He was always a best friend of mine." Rose mumbled.

Scorpius gently patted her back. He didn't know what to say; he himself was surprised by his old friend's reaction. He thought Albus were rooting for them.

"And my mother, of all people, who has been fighting for equality all her life, what a hypocrite she is! How could she ask me to apologize my dad when he was the one who's irrational? And Hugo! And Uncle Harry! How could they claim to be my family when they antagonize the person I love?"

Still clinging to Scorpius, Rose let out a fit of mournful sobs. He gently tugged her hair behind, hands continued to roam on her back as tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't mind being scolded or hexed by the Potters or the Weasleys. In fact, unlike Rose who had a naïve heart, Scorpius was half expecting the strong opposition from her family when they flooed to the Burrow that afternoon. He had been used to the prejudice and hatred thrown at him that it didn't discourage him from getting what he wanted.

He's a Malfoy, after all. Iciness and aggressiveness are what make them successful businessman in a world full of injustice. Without these traits, Scorpius couldn't have made it to today. What Scorpius didn't anticipate though, was how his chest was ripped off when he himself witness her family abandoning her. He didn't anticipate how painful it was to see the girl he loved suffer.

A biting cold sneaked into the room and Rose shuddered. "I'm hypothermia." Rose mumbled to Scorpius. He fetched the thick blanket on top of the cover and wrapped it around her. "Go stay in bed. I want to see you make a full recovery before returning to the very hospital that's bloody gonna drain your energy."

Rose didn't reply but obediently let him walk her to his bedroom. Tugging her securely under the blanket, he mumbled. "Get some sleep, please."

"You need to get some rest, too." She glanced at him warily.

"I will do at the couch if you stop crying and get some sleep." Scorpius pointed at the entrance.

Rose wiped her face and gave him a weak smile before pulling the cover to her chest and turned toward the large windowpane.

Gently closing the double doors, Scorpius retreated to the living room and unceremoniously threw himself on the couch. The sleepiness got the better of him and he quickly drifted away, until a wave of biting cold swept over him and made him shudder.

"Damn this weather." He rubbed his arm and staggered toward the living room to grab a blanket, when he heard the muffled sobs behind the closed doors.

Rose turned toward the entrance and quickly smeared the tears on her face when she saw Scorpius. "Sorry…did I wake you up?"

With two large steps forward, he reached the bed and sat down at the edge. "Can't sleep, Rose? Are you still hurt somewhere?"

"No. I guess I'm just used to wake up at five. I'm so sorry for bothering you." She mumbled guiltily.

"Still thinking about what happened last night, huh?" He gently caressed her tousled bang.

"I still can't fathom my family's judgement." She answered matter-of-factly.

"Yeah?" He smiled sadly. "You'd feel better after you get some decent sleep."

"I know," she answered. "Could we re-act the scene of nights in St. Mungo's, except now I'm the patient and you're the healer?" Rose chuckled between her sniffs.

"Whatever helps you sleep, Miss." Scorpius smiled and hopped on the empty space next to Rose. Resting against the headboard, he pulled her closer, pressing her body to his side. Tears had dampened her face, so he tugged the curls behind her back, his fingers wiping the dampness glistening her hairline.

Casually, Rose wrapped her arms around Scorpius's abdomen, her breaths slowered as he ran his fingers through her hair. Shuddered at her touch, Scorpius slightly slid down next to her. He rolled over to gaze at her swollen eyes, his nose inches from hers, his cheeks heated up with her hot breaths tickling his skin.

Grey eyes staring at blue, he mumbled. "I love you, you know."

Rose felt hazy by the cry and the warmth radiated from Scorpius's body. She diverted her gaze to his thin lips as he whispered his confession, and instinctively closed the gap by planting a chaste kiss on his lips.

He shut his eyes and boldly nibbled those soft ones of her.

She slightly parted her mouth so his tongue could explore it a little further.

His pulse quickened when he glanced at her heavy eyelids.

Her head tilted back when his hot kisses wandered to the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, then her collarbone.

His heart pounded when he heard her moan.

Her chest heaved when his fingers trailed the nape of her neck, sending shivers to her spine.

And then that was it.

Scorpius suddenly jerked and Rose snapped her eyes open. He rolled back to lay supine, eyes staring at the ceiling, panting. "We can't do this, Rose. I promised you."

Rose glanced at him, her heart twinged in pain. "Scorpius.." She nudged him to look at her.

Propping up on his elbows, he turned aside, perplexed to see her teary eyes.

"I'm sorry, darling. I was…out of line." He grimaced, shaking his head resolutely. "I'm gonna let you sleep. You should try to get some sleep. You've been restless all night." He said warily.

"Scorpius, you said you love me enough to accept my family's hexes and curses as our blessings, right?" Rose gazed at him, pleading.

Scorpius's mouth formed a sad smile. "Indeed. I did stand with you to suffer their scolding, didn't I? But I'm thinking, Rose," he ran his fingers through her hair as he tended to her, "I also love you enough to let you go. You don't deserve this hassle of dating a Malfoy. You have a big family that cares about you, you should treasure it."

Rose huffed darkly. "Such a Slytherin. I'm not giving up, why are you giving up?"

Scorpius sighed. "I don't care if they hate me, Rose. Hell, I don't even give a damn if the public's gonna go crazy about this. But I care about you. And you'll be damaged after all of this. The opposition from your family, the rumors that may cost you your career, they'll destroy you." He longed at her.

"You underestimate me and my love, Scorpius." She shook her head, disappointed.

"I know you're a Griffindor, I don't doubt your ability to withstand distress. My point is, I don't want you to. You don't deserve this hassle because of me." He said firmly.

"What if I say your love is enough for me to give up everything else? What if I say, because of you, I risk losing all my family members that are abandoning me? What if I say, being with you, I am courage enough to face all the hassle?" Rose choked in her tears.

"You have no idea how much these words mean to me, Rose. I thank you for your love." Scorpius leaned down to peck on Rose's cheeks, tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. She shut his eyes and pulled his lips to hers, so he slid down to her level and kissed her again. His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her close to his embrace.

Rose's lips parted from his after a long, heated kiss. She pulled her head slightly away from him, causing Scorpius's eyes flutter open. Her blue, fiery eyes pierced his gray pools.

"Take me." Rose mumbled slowly and sternly.

"What?" Scorpius scrunched his forehead, startled.

"Take me, Scorpius."

Still facing Rose, he pulled his body away from her.

"No, I can't. You're not in your right mind, Rose."

"Take me as I am, if you want." There's a slightest bit of uncertainty in her last words.

"Of course I want you, but…you asked me to promise you." He stammered.

"I know what I asked of you." She answered monotonously.

"Rose, you'll…you'll regret this. You're just unstable right now because of what just happened to us." He said, his voice croaky.

"I won't. I'm very sound and lucid right now. I love you enough to risk revealing my true self."

Scorpius's eyes widened with a little confusion and anxiety. For a split second, he thought this was another person polyjuiced as his Rose.

"What do you mean?" He stuttered.

"Look at me." Rose demanded.

Scorpius propped up on his palm, eyes taking in every inch of her image.

Rose lied supine, her eyes cautiously observed Scorpius's every single facial expression. Her red, vivid curls sprayed over the pillow. Her fingers slowly, deliberately unbuttoned the white shirt she was wearing.

Scorpius held his breath as her creamy skin started to reveal. He saw a bare cleavage; it made sense to him because she was small and was lying down. His pulse quickened as a strip of redness across Rose's chest slowly appeared.

Rose undid the last button and spread her sleeves wide open. Scorpius gaped.

Two long, jagged gashes ran across Rose's body. The first one, with some pink flesh and blood smear, crossed her chest, while the other one, slightly darker, sprawled along her small abdomen.

A lump formed in Scorpius's throat. His mind perplexed, unsure how to process the image in front of him. Here Rose was lying, exposed and naked; her nipples were pink and hardened, her female part was hiding under a small bush of soft, dark curls, yet her wounds were raw, fresh and fiery.

All her beauties and flaws were staring back at him, indignantly.

"Rose…" was all Scorpius could mutter. He expected to be turned on seconds earlier, and now he only fell pangs in his chest.

"That isn't the end of it." Rose said monotonously, masking the tremble in her voice. She sat up and turned her back to him. Scorpius slowly pulled down the loose shirt; his mouth dropped once more to see another four slashes on her back, as deep and raw as the first two.

Rose took a deep breath then turned around, facing him. She was ready for this moment when she decided to reveal her true self.

"Take me, if you still want me." Rose mustered all courage and said clearly, despite the trembling body that was betraying her voice.

Scorpius stared at her. His eyes were darkened with desire, lust, pain and anger. Every confusing word and behavior from Rose suddenly became crystal clear to him. He knew what he had to do to stop this very person in front of him from deteriorating herself further.

"Then lie down." His voice was low.

Rose obeyed him and gently rested on the cover. Her heart beat faster with anticipation, anxiety and also desire, the desire to be loved and taken as who she truly was.

Scorpius gulped but quickly pulled off his shirt. Rose glanced at his robust chest and lean muscles. The scar where he had the liver transplant was fresh, but sealed. A strip of blonde hair trailed off from his belly button and disappeared under his pants. He had a gorgeous body, she noticed. It's not like this was the first time she saw his in his half naked form. She had tended to his wounds before, all this time when he was in St. Mungo. She already had seen his bums as well. But today, it was different.

Scorpius propped on his elbow. He leaned closer to gaze at Rose with her eyes shut. Gently running his fingers through her hair, he thought about her insecurity that led to her unreasonable request of refraining from sex. She was afraid she would scare him away if he saw the scars (or wounds, he wasn't really sure). Yet if she didn't show them, he would also leave her one day because he was a man, and he belonged to the gender that sexual interaction is in their nature.

To be honest with himself, he was taken aback for a second when he first saw her scars. They were rather ghastly and frightful; he reckoned she got it from a spell. A dark, dark spell. But Rose was always this brave lioness that put others before herself. She thought he deserved someone better than her and her flawed body. The thought gave another pang in his chest. His heart soared with a strange desire to take her, to protect her but also to heal her.

Rose opened her eyes and stared back at him.

"It's okay to change your mind." She said, calmly.

Scorpius shook his head. "Rose, you're the best, the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me. Merlin knows I'm gonna fight my arse off to keep us together, because hard times is only ahead of us. But if our fates are that bollocks, remember: I love you so much. And I always. Always. Want you."

"Okay." Rose touched the nape of his neck; she smiled at him with a glint of tears in her eyes.

"So, does touching this hurt you?" He stammered, pointing at her scar.

"Not really, if you're gentle with it. They may look like wounds but they're actually not that bad."

Scorpius nod, then carefully brushed his thumb along the jagged line for the first time. It was rather fresh; the skin on the sides hadn't thoroughly closed up, exposing a little flesh. He saw her wincing a little, but she didn't look in pain, so he figured it wouldn't be too bad if he accidentally touched the scar.

He would never, ever hurt Rose, Scorpius thought.

Scorpius closed the distance and kissed her. She moaned again when his kisses trailed off to her jaw and the back of her ears. His long fingers slowly ran from her neck to her chest. He could feel her goosebumps as he slightly squeezed her breast, and the sensation caused a throbbing urge in his pants as well. Shifting his gaze to her chest, Scorpius marveled at Rose's pink nipples. It turned him on enough that he could come undone right here and there. But he took his time to tease it, pinch it, as Rose mewling above his head.

"Merlin's beard, I'm gonna take my precious time to learn every inch of you, Rose."

He cursed and growled. And that immediately dampened her core.

Slowly and deliberately, Scorpius kissed and nibbled small areas of her skin. His eyes were hungry at her defiant nipple. With a swirl of his tongue, he sent shivers down Rose's spine. He spent a quality amount of time nibbling and fondling with her breasts until her stomach clenched, and she miserably moaned his name.

Smirking, he looked up to watch Rose's body arching for his kisses, before his lips leisurely took its way to her navel. His hand gently roamed her creamy smooth belly, his eyes mesmerized by the hollow, little belly button.

She had flaws, but she was flawless in his eyes.

Rose shuddered as Scorpius parted her thighs. He gently twirled the brown curls and kissed her area a few times, until she closed her eyes and relaxed again. She felt a finger slowly made its way to her centre, parted her lips and brushed through her core.

She was slicked wet.

Rose jerked her head up; Scorpius put his finger dripped in her juice to his mouth and suck it while still staring at her. His eyes were dark and primal. He was on the edge of going wild. She was embarrassed, thinking about what he was going to do with her.

"Rose, do you trust me?"

She nodded and extended her arm to run her fingers through his hair in an attempt to caress him. He lowered his head and Rose took a sharp breath. Her eyes squeezed shut, her body arched with every sweep of his tongue on her core.

It was mind-blowing.

"Damn it, Rose. You're the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Then take me." She pleaded him, and that was all it take for him to drop his pants, mounted on her again and quickly positioned himself between her thighs. Rose took a sharp breath and closed her eyes.

"No, look at me." Scorpius demanded.

He cupped her face and she stared at him. His eyes were full of lust, while hers were yearning with passion. He kissed her once more, and while their eyes were fixed on one another, he slowly plunged himself into her.

Scorpius groaned and Rose gaped. It hurt. But she felt complete.

Scorpius held still when he saw a tear rolling off Rose's eyes. His eyes widened to figure it was her first time. He gently caressed her cheeks and kissed her, until she was ready for him again.

Rose's walls closed around Scorpius, trying to push him out. But it only invigorated him to enter her more, to be embraced by her.

Rose wrapped her arms around Scorpius and moved in synchronized with him as the pain subsided. Her fear was soon replaced with excitement, and her walls clenched in cooperation with his faster thrusts. He knew how to take her on, how to lead her and guide her to pleasure. With his experienced and calculated moves, Rose even came undone at the same time he spilled inside her.

It was ecstatic.

Scorpius gently withdrew himself from Rose, sweat glistening his firm body. He grabbed a small, square, white towel and cleaned the mixture of fluid and blood off him. He flopped down and rolled over to kiss Rose, his face slightly stiffened when he saw her eyes still shutting.

"Are you still in pain, Rose?"

She shook her head.

Scorpius lifted up her head and placed his arm below her. He smoothed her hairline and kissed her forehead.

"I didn't know it was your first time." He mumbled, wrapping the other arm around her.

"Yup." Her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked, concerning.

"Yup." A blush crept through her cheeks. Damn, she hated her Weasley's gene.

"Oh come on, don't be embarrassed. You were amazing." He beamed at her.

Rose opened her eyes and smile shyly at him.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, Rose." He nuzzled her face.

"Even with the scars?" She asked.

"Even with the scars. Merlin, I can't resist you." He smiled to her mouth.

"Such a cunning smart mouth." She gently slapped his shoulder.

"I'm honest. I can do you again right now. Wanna go for another broom ride?" He smirked.

Rose crinkled her nose but nodded.

"Now Weasley, what do you think about my name?" He chuckled.

"Scorpius? It's not that bad." She raised her eyebrows, unsure of his sudden change in topic.

"Good." He teasingly patted her bum. "Then flip around."

"Whaaa…?" She drops her mouth.

"Flip around. I'll let you scream my name." He chuckled and kissed her once more before rolling them over.

And so they did the second time and the third time.

OOOOO

When Scorpius woke up again, it was past noon. He rolled the curtain up and walked back to his bed. Resting against the headboard, he sat up and watched Rose lightly snoring, his fingers gently caressing the ends of her curls so he wouldn't wake her up.

The images of Rose's scars flashed through his brain. He recalled his perplexed look when he looked at her wounds, and Rose observing his facial expressions. How funny the paradox was, he thought, that she was brave enough to expose her vulnerability to him, yet already expected him to chicken out like a coward.

Why was she so skeptical about men?

Didn't she once tell him she was scared of love?

Merlin, only after their intimate moments did Scorpius understand more about both of them. He was surprised by how brave himself was when he walked to that Burrow, hand in hand with Rose. He couldn't care less about the consequences, as he felt invincible just by being next to her. No wonder the Sorting Hat was hesitated to put him in Slytherin. If he remembered correctly, the hat had toyed with the idea of throwing him to Gryffindor for a good two minutes before yelling his house. Rose, on the other hand, was quite different than what people perceived. She put on this confident, caring, cheerful mask to hide the insecurities deep inside.

Scorpius shook his head and sighed. Who asked their boyfriend to refrain from sexual activities if he wanted to date her, just simply because she was insecure about some minor scars?

Frankly speaking, they were nowhere near minor scar titles. They were long scars, as long as his palms, and raw and slightly intimidating.

But they were minor scars in his eyes.

This Weasley, she was damaged goods.

That made two of them.

Well then, good Merlin that this Weasley had a boyfriend, a Malfoy of all people, because he was determined to help her heal the wounds, inside and outside. He was in this, for real.

Scorpius chuckled, he couldn't help but feel happy, despite what happened to them in the past and what lies ahead in the future.

As long as they were together

Rose startled and yawned. Scorpius slid down and turned to her, he kissed her forehead as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good afternoon, darling."

"Whaaaat? It's afternoon already? What time is it? I have to be on call for the night shift." Rose panicked.

"Relax, Rose. It's only one p.m. And you're not allowed to work until you fully recover." He rolled his eyes, a little too dramatic.

"Thank Merlin, I was dreaming of healer Williams chasing after me with a pile of paperwork." She growled and laid back.

"Instead of dreaming about... doing the deed with your boyfriend? My ego is hurt." He huffed.

"Three times in a row, I've had enough, Mr. Malfoy. Thanks." She chuckled.

Scorpius sent an affectionate smile at Rose. His fingers gently caressed her cheeks, her lips and her neck.

"So, you wanted me to refrain from sex because you were afraid that I would run off if I saw your scar?" He initiated the talk.

Rose shyly nodded.

"You idiot. I love you for who you are." He slightly scrunched his eyebrows. He wanted to make sure she knew he was not that kind of irresponsible man.

"I…" Rose stammered, "I had boyfriends, twice actually. One ran for life when he saw my scars. The other made me feel pain when he touched me. I don't blame them though; I'm disgusted by myself as well." She diverted her sights down his lips, not daring to look at him.

Scorpius sighed. His chest felt a slight pang of pain at her confession.

"I have to thank those bastards because that's how I have you today, Rose." He mumbled in her hair. "But that means the scars have been around for a while. How long do you have them?" His finger brushed her nose.

"Ten years or more, I suppose. I don't even remember how I got it. My mom said I was on the street when there was a big crossfire. A few stray spells were cast on me. They wizards were thrown to jail, though." She said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. "But hey, if this makes you feel better, I have a large scar on my back, near the shoulders, too." Scorpius beamed at her.

"Let me see."

He turned around, back facing her. Scorpius could feel Rose's hands touching his skin, her fingers slightly pressing on the scars as if to examine it. A few seconds later, she spoke. "Cut wounds from glass, I suppose?"

Scorpius pulled down his shirt and faked an annoying complain. "Sometimes I forget my girlfriend is a healer."

"Deep cuts, though." Rose mumbled. He could hear a soft chuckle, and then she was wrapping her arm around him, her face nuzzled his back. "Scorpius, thanks for staying."

Merlin, how was it possible that he had been through her, inside and outside of her, above and beneath her, yet she still managed to make his heart flutter like the first time he woke up after the surgery and saw her?

"Oh and I forgot, I just have another scar on my stomach, courtesy of Healer Weasley and her colleagues." He beamed at her to lightened the atmosphere.

"Don't worry, it's getting better, Scorp. Eventually it'll only be a faded T line across your abdomen." She assured him as the healer instinct urged her.

Rose sighed again and his heart sank. Probably she was comparing her scars to his.

"Why are you scars still…open? Are they wounds or scars?" He twirled a lock of her hair.

"It's hard to say. They can't be scars because you could still see the flesh. Yet they're hardly wounds because they don't bleed, or bring me pain that much anymore."

"Speaking of pain, did I hurt you when I touched your scars?" He raised an eyebrow, concerning.

"Surprisingly, no. I was ready to suffer through the intercourse but I didn't feel any pain like I had with the last guy. I was on the verge of crying when he touched me so he couldn't finish the deed, you know." She smiled genuinely.

"Please, I don't want the details of you and your ex-boyfriend. I'll die in agony." Scorpius faked a wince, his heart soared to hear she wasn't in pain.

"There was no detail to spare. That was the end of the story. I was a pathetic virgin." She smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, the scars don't make you pathetic. They make you special in my eyes." He chuckled then brushed his finger on deep, jagged line. "Thanks to you, Scar, I get the honor to be her first guy."

"Scar is not that nice. It has its…episodes." She mumbled.

"Episodes?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yep, usually around five in the morning, they give me a painful burning sensation. I have to take showers around that time to sooth them."

"That explained why you ran erratically to the loo this morning. It also explained why you had always left already when I woke up in the hospital." His eyes widened.

"Short, spontaneous sleeps. I'm cut out to be a healer, aren't I?" She chuckled.

"Indeed. You're a great healer, Rose Weasley. I'm so sorry to make you slept in my room all those nights I was in the hospital. You could have slept in a decent bed. Your sleep was important." He sighed.

"I tried my best to escape your game but I miserably failed. I was hopeless when you're a patient, Scorpius." She said.

"And I was hopeless when you were the healer of my father's case, healer Weasley." He beamed at her.

"Argh… you completely turned my life upside down." She groaned. "In a good way, of course. I'm truly happy and contented for the first time in my life. Why can't my family see that?"

Scorpius found a lump in his throat. "Hey, we'll fight, okay? We'll make them realize we belong together."

"Yeah." She didn't sound too convinced. "I live with my parents, but now I guess I can't go back to their house for a while."

Scorpius cleared his throat. He was nervous as hell. "If you don't find this flat to shabby, I'd love for you to stay here with me."

"yeah?" She chuckled mischievously.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"There's a problem though. My scrubs are sterilized by the hospital, but all my regular clothing are in my parents' house." Rose sighed.

"Then nothing more exciting than a little shopping this afternoon, huh? My golds are getting tarnished in the vault." He suggested.

"Golds don't tarnish." She huffed darkly.

"They irk for my touch, just like you, anyway." He smirked.

"Very humble, you are."

"So say, what do you think about a Weasley and a Malfoy hand in hand, strolling along Diagon Alley, and occasionally snogging each other?"

"I think it's very appealing. Let the public enjoy a good scene or two."


End file.
